Living It Right
by TheLyricsAreMyStory
Summary: Sequel to 'The Day He Fell In Love With Me'; it's one year on from Ella's birth and Carla and Nick are experiencing the depths of parenthood, as well as discovering another new arrival might be on the way! Author: Hannah Jordan. Editor: Ella Hughes.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

 **One Year On:**

"Happy birthday to you." I sing as I push the door open lightly to Ella's room. She is holding herself up in her cot, gripping the metal bars, full of life. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Ella, happy birthday to you."

"That masterpiece was brought to you by Carla Tilsley." Nick jokes, sliding his arms around my waist as I pick Ella up out of her crib. "Vocal queen of 2017."

"Wow that's cringey." I roll my eyes. "Daddy's silly."

"Daddy." Ella flashes a wide smile and I grin. "Boo boo."

"Daddy's a boo boo?" I bite my lip and look at him.

"Mm..." He mumbles into my hair as he places kisses into it, breathing in the scent of my shampoo. "I'll put up with that."

"Shall we go and see what presents you've got?" I ask, pulling a face at her because it made her smile. "Come on then."

I support her on my hip as I follow Nick through to the living room and sit her down on my lap in the arm chair as Nick digs out a large present.

"That's from Michelle." He smiles at me as he places it by my feet.

"Woah." I lift Ella down onto the floor, crossing my legs on the carpet. "Look how big that is ey?"

"I wonder what it is." Nick says and I laugh at his enthusiasm as he unwraps it for her. He tears off the paper to reveal a baby bouncer with a mobile hanging from it.

"Ah, I've seen these." I sit Ella down next to me and hand her a rattle which she shakes. "You attach them to the door and then you can leave them in there for hours."

"Oh well isn't that lovely?" Nick asks Ella and she smiles. He picks her up beneath her arm pits and sits her down on his lap. "When are the guests arriving?"

"Chelle's getting here at ten." I tell him. "Same with Roy, you were in charge of your family."

"Your family too." He prompts me and I try to keep the smile off my face.

"Lucky me." I grin and he kisses me softly, smiling into me as he does so. "Can you not crush our daughter please?"

"Sorry sweetheart." He says to her, passing her back before kissing me again.

* * *

"Hiya." Michelle greets as she enters the flat. "Hello Ella."

"Is that auntie Chelle?" I ask her, passing her over to her Godmother.

"Hey, guess who's paid a visit?" Michelle asks, balancing Ella on her hip.

"Happy birthday Ella!" Ryan grins as he appears behind her.

"Oh my..." I gasp, wrapping him in a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd pay a visit." He smiles. "Not a problem is it?"

"As long as you keep out of trouble." I ruffle his hair playfully.

"He's been here twenty four hours and so far the police have not been involved." Michelle jokes and he shoots her a look.

"Ibiza doing you good then?" I ask.

"Love it yeah." He responds before Nick appears from the bedroom.

"Ah, hello Ryan!" He shakes his hand formally. "Chelle."

"Thanks for inviting us." She smiles, taking her jacket off and passing Ella to Nick.

"Thanks for the present." I reply, giving her a hug. "She loves it."

"Tell you that did she?" Nick raises his eyebrows and I slap him playfully. The intercom buzzes and I go to answer it.

"Carla it's Roy." I hear his voice and press the button.

"Come up." I say, putting the phone back in place.

"This looks lovely." Michelle indicates to the decorated flat, where food was laid out on the kitchen surface. There were several balloons with the number one floating on a string and paper chains were hung up on the walls.

"Thank you." I smile as Nick hands Ella back to me and I lift her over my shoulder, patting her back. "Yeah we did it last night."

" _I_ did it last night." Nick corrects me and I pull a face at him.

"Hello." Roy greets as he enters through the open door.

"Ooh, is it grandad?" I ask Ella, moving her so she was facing him.

"Gramps..." Ella points and his face lights up slightly. She knew very few words but had learnt to call Roy 'gramps' a few weeks ago. I referred to him as her grandad despite the fact we weren't blood related, he was actually Ella's Godfather.

"Yay!" I cheer enthusiastically. I had tied what hair she did have up in two high bunches and she was wearing a yellow floral dress that we had received off Audrey for her birthday present.

"I have a gift." Roy presents a neatly wrapped package and Nick takes it off him.

"Say thank you?" I ask Ella and she looks at me blankly. "Th-ank."

"Nope?" Michelle looks at her.

"Thhh..." Ella murmurs.

"Ok that's all we're getting for now is it?" I laugh. "Sit down everyone, take a seat."

* * *

"I love you." I hear Nick whisper as he buries his head in my hair, kissing me affectionately from behind.

"I'm trying to sort out a cake here." I smile as he slides his arms around my waist.

"Sorry mummy." Nick murmurs and I turn to look at him. We had taken to calling each other daddy and mummy when Ella was around because she had now picked up how to say them. "Do you remember this time last year?"

"Do I remember?" I laugh, wrapping my arms round his neck. "No it slipped my mind actually... I was screaming the place down."

"You were bringing our daughter into the world." He says before kissing me lightly twice. "I love you."

"Yeah you said that." I giggle and he looks at me, pure love in his eyes. "I love you too."

"Hey, we gonna get this cake or not?" Aidan asks, where he is sat next to Michelle, puppets on his fingers for Ella's entertainment. "Or are you gonna stand there being all loved up?"

"Always about the food isn't it?" I scoff and Aidan gives me a cheeky smile.

"I'll light the candle." Nick whispers in my ear and I smile appreciatively. I still had a fear of them, especially being in my flat and all. I kiss him on the cheek quickly as he does so and he carries the cake over to Ella as everyone begins to sing. He places it down on the table in front of Michelle, who has our daughter on her lap and wraps his arms around me as we watch my best friend help her blow out the candles.

Everything we had worked for. All the struggles. Lead to this.

"You ok?" Nick whispers once he sees a tear slide down my cheek and I nod quickly wiping it away. He plants a kiss on the side of my head as we watch the scene in front of us. "Soft really aren't you?"

"Not my fault." I reply quietly and he chuckles slightly into my ear, kissing my hair again.

"I'll take the blame for that one then." He says and I look at him.

"You and her." I bite my lip slightly before kissing him on the lips.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

"Thanks again." I smile at Michelle, who had been looking after Ella for the afternoon whilst I went to work.

Wheeling a push chair down the cobbles was almost as hard as walking it in heels. So combining the two was something I had to have practice at. I headed for home, sticking to the pavements as much as possible.

"Carla?" I hear Nick's voice and spin around, he was holding up Ella's rabbit teddy and grinning. "Dropped this."

"Ah." I say, once he reaches us. "Thank you. See, if it wasn't for daddy, you'd have lost this." I scold her gently, placing it back into the pushchair. "Were you spying on me?"

"Spying on you?" He laughs. "No, why?"

"It's just awfully convenient you were there at that time." I tell him.

"I just came to give you a kiss." He shrugs. "But if you don't want it then..."

"Mm..." I mumble as I kiss him. "Well that's nice, thank you."

"I'll be back in half an hour, just need to sort a few things." He says.

"Ok, love you." I flash him a smile before heading back down the street and he heads in the opposite direction.

* * *

"Hello." Nick calls, entering the flat and putting his keys down on the side table.

"Hi sweetheart." I greet and he goes to tickle Ella under the chin, who is bobbing up and down in her baby bouncer.

"That's very useful." He comes over to me, where I'm chopping vegetables in the kitchen. I never used to cook, but I had made an effort to start after Ella was born. I didn't want to be feeding her ready meals every night when she got a bit older. "What you cooking?"

"Chicken stir fry." I inform him as he kisses my cheek, before going to pour himself a drink.

"Do you want a glass of red?" He asks and I shake my head. "Why?"

"Why?" I raise my eyebrows at him. "You should be thankful I don't want a drink."

"It's just unlike you, that's all." He shrugs.

"Yeah well I don't really wanna be drinking in front of the B.A.B.Y." I prompt him and he puts the bottle down hastily.

"She can't understand what you're D.O. ." He imitates and I give him a look.

"You can have a drink." I tell him, turning back to the vegetables.

"What so... It's ok for me to drink in front of her but not you?" He questions. "Besides you drink all the time around her."

"No I do not!" I scoff, flicking my head round again to look at him and he chuckles slightly.

"Carla..." He sings, excitement in his tone before slipping his arms round my waist. "I think I know why it is..."

"Hm? Go on then try me." I can't help but smile as I continue preparing dinner, his arms secure around me.

"You've poisoned it." He whispers and I spin round to face him, nudging my nose against his.

"Now why would I want to do that?" I ask, looking him in the eyes.

"...You told me you wouldn't take a test without me." He raises his eyebrows.

"I haven't taken a test." I confirm and he kisses me. "Just got a feeling that's all."

"Seriously?" He bites his lip and I nod.

"But don't get our hopes up ok?" I point at him playfully.

"Ok, my lips are sealed." He smiles, kissing me again.

* * *

"Choo choo." Nick peeps as he feeds a spoon covered in potato into Ella's mouth.

"Babe?" I pipe up from the sofa and he nods, distracted by feeding his daughter. "You know she doesn't like trains."

"She likes daddy trains." He says, still focusing on spooning potato and broccoli out of her bowl. "Don't you, do you like daddy trains?"

"Please never say that again." I have to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing.

"Tr...Tray." Ella mumbles and Nick's face lights up. "Tray tray."

"See she does like trains!" Nick exclaims and I laugh with happiness.

"She said 'tray' not train." I giggle and he picks her up out of her high chair.

"So she likes trays." Nick dances around with her on his hip. "Say train."

"...Dadda." Ella points at him and I can't stop smiling at the scene in front of me.

"No, train." Nick corrects her, kissing her on the nose.

"Tray..." She gurgles and I giggle.

"Well it's something new to add to her vocabulary list." I shrug.

"Say train Ella." He continues. "Tr-ain."

"Who are you Roy Cropper?" I laugh, going over to him and wrapping my arms round his shoulders. "What's the obsession with trains?"

"Tray-n." Ella repeats and Nick starts laughing then.

"She said train!" He exclaims, turning on me. "Haha, daddy one mummy nil."

"Mummy nil?" I raise my eyebrows. "I gave birth to her."

"Ok, mummy can have one point." He grins at me before parading round the room with her, doing a victory dance.

"Can I film this and show it to all your employees?" I ask and he laughs.

"They'd love it." He kisses me and Ella grabs my hair.

"Mamma." She says, pulling it between her fingers.

"Mummy's hair." I link my finger through hers and she looks up at me with big green eyes.

"Bath time." Nick kisses the top of her head.

"Uh, she hasn't finished her tea!" I object, picking up the bowl.

"She's full." He tells me.

"Oh so now we make the decisions for her do we?" I raise my eyebrows, pushing the spoon lightly against her lips but she doesn't budge.

"Ah, that's two points to daddy." Nick winks and I slap him lightly.

"Daddy can go and give Ella a bath then." I prompt him, putting the bowl back down. "I'll put my feet up."

" _You_ can do the washing up." He responds playfully and I give him a look. "Uh, oh, hormones... Come on Ella."

"Nick!" I argue and he emerges from the bathroom, coming over to kiss me.

"Love you." He grins, before going back to our daughter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

"She's asleep." Nick tells me as he comes out of her bedroom, placing a hand on my shoulder from behind the sofa.

"Did you give her that bottle?" I ask, looking up at him and he nods. "Thank you for sorting her."

"My pleasure." He sighs, coming to sit down next to me before I throw my legs over his, shifting onto his lap and resting my head in his chest. "What you reading?"

"John Lewis summer catalogue." I tell him and he kisses the top of my head, playing with the ends of my hair.

"Ah, and there was me thinking you were being intellectual." He smiles and I move to rest my forehead against his chin, humming slightly. "...Do we need to talk?"

"I don't know... do we?" I move my head to face him and raise my eyebrows.

"You can't just drop a bombshell like that and expect us not to talk about it." He smiles.

"Oh come on..." I mutter, wrapping his tie around my fingers. "It's hardly a 'bombshell' is it? Ey? We've been trying for another baby for a little while now."

"Precisely why I want to know what's going on!" He pesters and I laugh.

"What so I'm a qualified midwife now am I?" I ask him.

"Definitely not." He scoffs. "You proved that in the last pregnancy."

"Yeah well I'm... Getting old... Older now." I shrug and he laughs, kissing my forehead. "I don't want to..."

"Listen." He takes my hand, pressing it against his chest. "Firstly, you're not old. You're hardly into your forties."

"It's the oldest I've ever been." I bite my lip and he kisses my forehead again, smiling into my skin.

"Mm, what a surprise." He mumbles. "Secondly, nothing is going to happen."

"Nick, it's early days." I sigh, seriousness laced in my voice.

"What's the worst that could happen?" He asks.

"I could lose it..." I trail off, my voice cracking so he holds me tighter.

"So taking a test is going to affect that how?" He whispers.

"Because we'd know!" I exclaim. "Or I don't want to tempt fate... I wish I hadn't told you now because when it comes out as negative, we'll both be disappointed."

"Then we'll just keep trying." Nick prompts me.

"I'm not a machine." I argue. "You can't just... Insert some change and out pops the prize nine months later."

"Why does your hair smell so good?" Nick questions, wrapping it around his finger.

"Divert the subject why don't you?" I say, running my finger gently down his cheek before leaning my forehead against his.

"Carla..." He whispers, seriously. "...Do you have a new shampoo?"

"Nick!" I slap him playfully, but his eyes melt me. "...Go and buy a test."

"Wait..." He looks at me steadily. "Seriously?"

"But listen ok?" I cup his face with my hand. "Don't get hopes up. Deal?"

"Deal." He kisses me passionately for a few seconds before I climb off his lap and he stands, pulling his coat on.

* * *

"Have you done it?" Nick asks from outside the bathroom.

"Yeah..." I tell him and he pushes the door open. "Now we have to wait for two minutes."

"Ok..." He nods and we look at each other nervously.

"...Yes by the way." I pipe up. "I do have a new shampoo."

"What?" He frowns, as I place the test down on the side of the sink.

"You asked if I have a new shampoo." My eyes widen as I pull it off the side of the shower. "It's strawberry..."

"Come here." He sighs, pulling me in for a hug. "But it does smell nice."

"Thanks." I mumble and he laughs slightly before letting me go.

"Listen." He takes my hand. "Whatever this says now..."

"I know." I nod.

"And we have Ella so it's going to be ok." He continues, shifting his eyes over to the test. "Has it been two minutes?"

"I thought you were timing it." I say.

"Well... Do you want to check it?" He prompts.

"...No." I can feel butterflies forming in my stomach, I was so nervous. "You do it."

"Alright..." He trails off, picking it up careful and studying it for a few seconds. "Negative."

"Oh..." My heart drops slightly but I attempt to regain myself, he flashes me a sympathetic smile, before putting it down again. "Well... At least I can drink wine again now..."

"...Hug?" He holds out his arms and I force the tears back. I let him down again.

"Sorry..." I whisper.

"Why?" He strokes my hair softly.

"Because..." I trail off. "We wanted another baby..."

"It's a good job it's positive then..." I hear the words slip out of his mouth but it takes me a while to process them.

"What?" I move away, cautiously, brushing a stray tear off my cheek. A smile forms on his face and he bites his lip.

"It's positive." He confirms, handing me the test and I freeze for a few moments, staring at the two lines before looking back at him.

"OH MY GOD YOU IDIOT!" I yell, bursting into laughter and tears. "YOU DIDN'T!"

"Shh!" He places a finger to his lips, eyes sparkling. "Sorry... I couldn't resist."

"That's horrible!" I hiss, my mouth hanging open.

"Uh uh, because now I know you want another baby." He teases.

"You already knew I wanted another baby." I look back at the pregnancy test, absorbing the information. "We are having another baby... Right... Is this happening?"

"Sorry but I think it is." He laughs, picking me up suddenly and spinning me round. He lifts me so I'm stood on the toilet seat and I bend down to kiss him.

"We're having another baby." I look at him seriously as he wipes the tears from my cheeks. "You're so cruel."

"Sorry." He smiles. "I really am, I shouldn't have done that."

"I was so upset then!" I object and he actually looks sad at this.

"But you're happy now?" He asks before pulling me towards him, my legs linking round his waist, my head on his shoulder as he spins me round again gently.

"Of course I'm happy now." He stops and I look into his eyes, kissing him as he supports my weight. "Bedroom. Now."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

"Morning." I smile at Carla as she opens her eyes and turns to look at me.

"Mm..." She mumbles, sleepily before shifting closer to me and pulling my arms around her.

"You feeling ok?" I kiss her hair and she nods.

"Enjoy it while I can." She runs a finger up and down my arm as I play with her hair. She moves my spare hand down to her tummy and fits her hand over the top.

"How about we have a duvet day today?" I ask and she smiles at the thought. "Ella included, we can just chill out as a family."

"Family." She repeats and it makes me feel warm inside. "Tell me why I'm trying to think of excuses when I'd like nothing better?"

"Because you're a good girl." I tease and she bites her lip.

"Please don't call me that." She grins, turning to kiss me, her lips warm against my own. "Anyway, girl? That's a bit patronising."

"Sorry." I kiss her again. "So are you in?"

"Mm..." She moves her eyes to my forehead. "Yeah suppose."

"Don't strain yourself." I mumble before reluctantly moving myself from her presence. "I'll go get Ella."

"Can you bring little Ted in?" She asks and I smile.

"What for you or her?" I raise my eyebrows before heading towards the nursery. "Morning beautiful." I greet her, she's stood up, shaking a rattle and clinging onto the edge of her cot with her spare hand. I pick her up gently and she pokes me in the cheek, her mouth widening. "Shall we go and see mummy?"

"Mamma." She repeats as I carry her into the bedroom. "Mamma, ma."

"Hello sweetheart." Carla props herself up as I sit Ella down on the bed, placing her rattle and little Ted down next to her.

"Do you want a brew?" I ask and she nods appreciatively.

"Yeah but come here first." She holds out her arms and I smile, going to sit down next to her. I put my arm around her and she lays her head on my shoulder as we watch Ella shake her rattle excitedly.

* * *

"Ooh, what've you got?" I ask Ella as I walk past, heading into the kitchen.

"Shepherds pie, haven't you?" She says, spooning it into her mouth.

"Mmm." I hum. "She enjoying that?"

"I think so." She smiles at her and she opens her mouth for more.

"Does mummy want some lunch?" I pull the bread out of the bread bin. "I'm having a cheese toastie."

"Ah, yes please." She sighs, as I put the grill on.

"You ok?" I ask her and she nods. I scatter ready grated cheese on the pieces of bread and place them under the grill before going over to her and massaging her shoulders, kissing the top of her head lightly. "You should pretend to be a train. She enjoyed that yesterday."

"I'm not pretending to be a train." She laughs and I sit down next to her, taking the spoon off her gently.

"Choo choo." I feed the spoon into her mouth and Ella giggles, accepting it gratefully. "Yay, daddy train has arrived."

"You're adorable." Carla nudges me.

"First time I've been called that." I kiss her on the cheek and she nestles her head in my shoulder affectionately.

* * *

"Here you go!" I throw the duvet down on top of her.

"Can you not chuck that at me please?" She pulls it off her head.

"Come here you." I pick Ella up out of her bouncer before placing her down on Carla's lap. She wraps her in a cuddle on top of the duvet and I go to join them. "Listen to me. Mummy is very fragile right now, so we need to be very very good."

"Mamma!" She squeals, pulling Carla's hair lightly.

"Mumm-y." She emphasises as Ella looks up at her with wide eyes.

"Mam..." She gargles and Carla smiles, as Ella focuses in on her shiny hair, watching it slip through her fingers. "Mamma... Ma ma ma..."

"Talkative aren't we?" I stroke Ella's head softly and she giggles.

"Ba..." She mumbles, stretching a hand up and touching Carla's face.

"Is this explore Carla day?" She asks Ella.

"I'm up for that." I whisper and she gives me a look.

"Daddy's been doing too much exploring." She tells her firmly, flashing me a smile as I put my arm around her. "Evidently."

"You'll be thanking me in nine months." I tap Ella on the nose.

"I don't think I will." She retorts and I chuckle as I kiss her on the side of the head.

"I'm putting baby TV on." I press the remote. "Might calm her down a bit."

"Look." Carla points at the TV. "It's Remy the rabbit."

"Ella, cooey." I wave my hand in her face but she continues to tug on Carla's hair.

"Ow!" She scolds, unraveling her fingers. "Careful."

"I told you we need to be careful with mummy." I tell her softly and she turns to look at me.

"Mamma!" She exclaims. "Mammy. Ma ma ma ma ma..."

"Yes mummy." Carla nods, pulling a face at her before kissing her on the nose.

"She needs her nappy changing." I tell her.

"Yeah I was thinking that." Carla replies. "Nappy changing time!"

"I'll do it." I lift her off the duvet, standing up. "You look comfy."

"You sure?" She checks as I head behind the sofa, kissing the top of her head.

"Yep." I say. "Love you."

* * *

"I learnt to walk on my first birthday." I inform both of them as I lead Ella by her hands across the carpet.

"Oh yeah?" Carla mutters from the sofa, stuffing a piece of popcorn in her mouth. "Gail an early starter was she?"

"It's hardly that early." I reply.

"I learnt late." She responds, her eyes fixated on the TV.

"Yeah because your mum couldn't even stand up herself." I laugh and she throws a cushion at my head.

"Nick!" She yells.

"Uh, it's a good job you've got good aim." I say, seriousness laced in my tone. "That could've hit Ella."

"Yeah well I've had practice haven't I?" She shrugs.

"See she just stands up and holds onto things." I point to where she was holding onto the edge of the baby bouncer, pulling herself up. "She could do it."

"She will." Carla gets up, coming over to us and draping herself over my shoulders. "What's the urgency hmm?" She plants kisses on my cheek before kneeling down next to me. "Ella, come here." I smile, clapping my hands and she turns to look at me.

"She won't do it." Nick nudges me. "I've been trying for days. I'll give you a fiver if you can."

"You said that before and you didn't pay up." It was only a short distance but she still looked hesitant. "Ella come to mummy."

"Say train." I pester and Carla looks at me.

"She's not a robot Nicholas." She scoffs. "Anyway she's already done that."

"Ella say bus." I continue, to annoy her and she glares at me.

"Ella come here!" Carla says softly and she looks majorly confused. "Look you've complicated everything now, she was gonna do it."

"Oh yeah right." I laugh before she starts to stumble towards us. It only takes a few steps before she's falling into Carla's arms and she gasps with happiness. "No way!"

"Yes!" Carla exclaims, picking Ella up and spinning her round the room. "Haha, two points to mummy!"

"That was her first steps!" I am smiling because I was so happy. So happy that my wife was in front of me with my daughter, dancing round the room.

"You'll be walking in heels next." She grins as I get up and go over to them. "Well done baby girl."

"Yay." I kiss Ella on the top of her head before sliding my arms round Carla's waist, resting my head on her shoulder so I can stick my tongue out at my daughter. I place my hands on her tummy and rub it gently.

"I love you." Carla turns her head to kiss me and I return it affectionately.

"I love you." I reply, tapping her tummy before tickling Ella under the chin. "And I love you and I love you."

* * *

"Where are you?" I ask as I enter the flat, a pack of baby wipes in my hand from Dev's.

"Bathroom." She calls and I go to join her, she's knelt by the bath, bathing Ella gently, who is splashing a rubber duck in the water.

"Here you go." I tap the wipes lightly on the top of her head before putting them on the side.

"Thanks sweetheart." She says as I go to kneel next to her.

"Ok?" I ask softly, focusing in on her face, pulling her hair out of the way and tucking it behind her ear.

"That's the third time today you've asked." She kisses me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Yeah well I care about you." I murmur.

"Ba!" Ella squeals, splashing the water excitedly.

"Careful." Carla says sternly.

"Dadada!" She babbles, looking up at me.

"Get off to bed." I tell Carla, rubbing her back.

"Why?" She questions, pulling the plug out.

"Because you look shattered." I smile as she nestles her head against my chin, humming slightly.

"If we have another one..." She trails off.

" _When_ we have another one." I correct her and she moves her head to look at me.

"Do you think she'll be happy?" She continues and my eyes move to her forehead before placing a kiss into her skin.

"Course she will." I reply. "She'll have someone to play with when they get a bit older. We can put our feet up for a bit."

"I don't think there'll be much of that." She leans her forehead against mine.

"...Are you scared?" I whisper and she just meets my eyes with hers before shaking her head.

"Not anymore." She smiles.

"Good." I respond calmly, kissing her one last time before she gets up, heading for the bedroom. "I'll be through in a minute."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

I dropped Ella off at Michelle's most mornings. As she owned the pub she had a lot of free time, particularly as the punters weren't in until later on. Plus, she got on brilliantly with her, which was a bonus. Originally we had hired a nanny for a few months but since she got a bit older, we decided we didn't need her.

"Ah here's my beautiful Goddaughter." Michelle beams as I enter the Rovers through the back door.

"Mimi." Ella points when she sees her. We had no idea why Ella had taken to calling Michelle 'Mimi' but we went with it all the same.

"Yay, here's auntie Chelle." I greet her, backing the pushchair up against the wall. I unstrap Ella and pick her up as she grabs my hair. "Ah yeah, she's going through a hair pulling phase. I think it's her new interest, so be careful."

"Mimi!" Ella repeats and Michelle waves at her.

"Ok I'm sure I can handle that." She smiles at me.

"She's normally gentle but sometimes she can be a bit forceful." I inform her as Ella grabs my finger, trying to bite down on it. "Uh... Gently."

"You can tell she's teething." Michelle observes, leading me into the living room as I sit down on the sofa.

"Yeah she's in this exploration mode at the moment." I watch Ella naw at my finger with the very few teeth she had. "She'll grab or bite anything she can."

"I told Amy to clear her toys out of the living room before she comes, so it should be ok." She tells me. "Do you want a cuppa before you get off to work?"

"Yeah, that'd be lovely." I reply, pulling a face as saliva dribbles down my finger. "Ella stop it now." I carefully try to remove it from her mouth, replacing it with her dummy.

"Mm..." She frowns, trying to pull it out of her mouth.

"It's that or nothing." I tell her gently before she throws it down on the floor. "Ella! Stop it please."

"It's ok." Michelle comes back in from the kitchen, placing a cup of tea down on the table before picking up her dummy. I place Ella down on the floor and she starts crawling around.

"Hey, you'll never guess what!" I marvel, picking my mug up and taking a sip. "She took her first steps the other day."

"Really?" She gasps, turning to Ella, who's sat up chewing on her favourite teddy. "Aren't you clever ey?"

"You gonna do some walking for Mimi today?" I ask her, despite the fact I know she'll just stare blankly into the distance.

"What do you think they think about at that age?" Michelle narrows her eyes.

"Well we've all been there..." I shrug. "Am I hungry? Am I thirsty? Do I need to... Go to the toilet?"

"Simple life isn't it?" Michelle grins.

"Mm." I nod. "I hope she appreciates it while she can."

* * *

"What's that?" Aidan asks, walking into the office.

"Chocolate brownie." I reply, keeping an eye on the computer as I input the figures.

"Alright for some." He chuckles and I give him a look.

"Mrs Tilsley." Sally enters the office without knocking. "There's a light flickering on the ceiling out there."

"So?" I frown.

"Well it's distracting us from working." She informs me.

"You've worked when the factory was half flooded before." I object. "A flickering light is hardly anything."

"Beth's refusing to work." Sally continues.

"Oh fine." I roll my eyes. "Aidan go change the bulb."

"Uh... Since when was I your slave?" He retorts.

"Since I'm the boss of the factory." I point out.

"I've got a meeting now." He responds. "I'll go get us business, you make sure we have a business."

"I'm not changing a light bulb." I laugh, finishing my brownie. "Get Kirk to do it."

"Oh so a woman can't change a light bulb now?" Aidan winks. "That's a man's job."

"Fine!" I lock my computer, getting up and going out to the shop floor. "Sally there's a bunch of light bulbs in that cupboard, can you get them for me?"

"Yes Mrs Tilsley." She nods obediently as I carry a ladder over to where a light was blinking wildly. I set it out and begin to climb it before I hear a voice from behind me.

"What are you doing?" I almost trip down the steps at the sound of Nick's voice, clinging onto the ladder to recover myself.

"Fixing a light bulb." Sean pipes up. "Would you believe it?"

"...Well you shouldn't be climbing ladders in those stilettos." He gives me a look, but everyone buys the excuse.

"Sorry Nicholas would you like to change it for me?" I climb down from the ladder and stand facing him, hands on my hips.

"Where's Aidan?" He frowns.

"Meeting." I reply. "Why are you here?"

"Because Michelle phoned." He sighs. "Ella's having problems, she hasn't stopped crying for an hour."

"Well why didn't she ring me?" I ask.

"She did." He responds. "I'm assuming your phone is in your bag on silent."

"Ah yeah... Sorry." I bite my lip.

"Look I'll do this, you go see to Ella." He sighs, stepping past me to climb the ladder.

* * *

"Hey." Nick looks up from pouring drinks as I enter the Bistro, parking the pram by the side of the bar, where Ella was peacefully sleeping.

"I'm sorry." I smile sympathetically.

"Why?" He frowns.

"For climbing the ladder." I respond.

"Don't worry about it." He brushes me off, loading the drinks onto a tray. "I just don't want to run any risks... I know it's early days."

"I know." I nod and he reaches across the bar to squeeze my hand as I pull myself up onto a stool.

"Did you manage to sort her?" Nick indicates to the pushchair.

"Mm." I sigh, placing my forehead down onto our linked hands as he brushes a lock of hair back. "It took a while! But I managed to feed her a bottle and then she went off."

"Do you reckon she's started teething again?" He asks and I raise my head again to face him. "We managed a two month break."

"She was chewing on anything earlier." I tell him. "My finger being the optimum choice. Chelle was having a rough time with her, apparently she was spitting her dummy out the pram all morning... No pun intended."

"Can't blame her though." He looks at me steadily and I shake my head.

"No." I close my eyes briefly before he leans over to kiss me. "Course not."

"Did I do an alright job with the lightbulb?" He asks and I laugh slightly.

"Thank you for doing that." I mumble, pulling a straw out of he pot and chewing on it.

"You're as bad as her." He chuckles.

"Well I haven't eaten anything except a brownie today!" I exclaim and he passes me a menu.

"On the house." He offers.

"You don't have to." I sigh, opening it slowly.

"The bill will only come out of our joint bank account..." He points out, that was a point. Whatever money that went out of our account would only be going back in.

"I guess then..." I roll my eyes, a smile forming on my face.

* * *

"There there, it's ok." I hush Ella as she wails in my arms.

"Hey." Nick looks concerned as he enters the flat. "I can hear you from downstairs."

"She won't stop." I'm almost close to tears myself and he takes his jacket off coming over to us.

"Come here." I pass her over and he rocks her gently, putting his finger in her mouth which she sucks on avidly. She stops crying immediately, snivelling slightly.

"Why didn't I think of that?" I ask, running my hands through my hair and trying to calm myself.

"It's ok." He soothes me as well as her. "Where's her dummy?"

"Here." I pick it up off the coffee table and he gently places it in her mouth before putting her down in her bouncer.

"Calm." He reassures me, holding out his arms. "Bad day?"

"Mm..." I mumble into him, my arms gripping his back, never wanting to let go. "Sorry."

"Right." He retracts, leaning his forehead against mine. "Sit down, I'm making dinner."

"Uh... Can we get Chinese?" I sigh.

"Oh cheers." He kisses me and I laugh into him. "But yeah." He moves down to kiss my neck.

"Um, Nick." I mumble, as he kisses my sensitive spots. "Ella?"

"Mm..." He mumbles, moving to my shoulder and placing kisses down my arm. He kisses my hand before linking it with his, kissing my tummy before moving back up to face me.

"Stop." I laugh but I can't help but kiss him again, parting his lips and exhaling into his skin.

"You stop." He murmurs.

"Ok..." I pull back, biting my lip as I do so. "Not now."

"Hi sweetheart." Nick peers behind me and I turn to look at Ella who is staring at us intently. "Yeah... Not now. I'll order the food."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

"Right." I emerge from Ella's room carrying a pair of denim shoes. "Shoes on. Are these the right ones?"

"Yes." Carla smiles at me, leaning on the kitchen counter whilst eating a piece of toast. I kneel down to strap my daughter's feet into them.

"Sickness this morning?" I ask her.

"No..." She responds. "We'll pick another test up on the way back from the Red Rec."

"Why?" I frown, tapping Ella's feet lightly once her shoes were on.

"Because... I just want to check." She shrugs.

"We already have checked." I stand up, going over to her and slipping my arms around her waist. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"No!" She objects, turning to face me as I raise my eyebrows. "I just want to be sure! It could have been a false positive or... I don't know maybe I lost it or something..."

"You'd know if you'd lost it." I reassure her, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Besides, you can't think that because you haven't had any sickness. When did it start last time?"

"Well last time it was all new to me..." She trails off.

"Exactly." I kiss her lightly. "So you're weighing up how it should feel against that one. All pregnancies are different."

"Ok." She nods, tracing a finger down my cheek.

"Ok?" I check as the microwave beeps.

"I love you." She kisses me again before turning to open the microwave. I smack her bum lightly and she laughs.

"I love you too." I grin, watching as she takes a bowl of porridge over to Ella.

"What have we got for breakfast ey?" She asks her excitedly, pulling a chair up opposite her high chair.

"Mamma!" She yells, reaching a hand out as Carla takes a spoonful of the porridge and scoops it into her mouth.

"Babe can you pass us the baby wipes?" She asks me, pointing to the side.

"Messy morning." I smile at Ella as I pass them over.

"Sticky hands, sticky face." Carla opens her mouth at Ella which makes her giggle.

"Dadada." She babbles.

"Open." Carla tickles her chin and feeds her another spoonful.

"Bleh ba ba." She gargles as she swallows it, drooling down her chin in the process.

"Stop talking while you're eating." Carla says gently, wiping her chin.

"I've changed your top once already because you drooled down it." I say to her.

"Uhh." Carla groans. "She did that again?"

"Well this is the purpose of the bib." I indicate to where it was slung over her shoulders. "She needs one on permanently."

"Dadda!" She points to me.

"Yes that's daddy." Carla nods. "Are you going to eat for him?" She spoons some more into her mouth before wiping any traces off her lower lip. "Good girl."

"Right I'm gonna go get ready." I kiss Carla on the top of the head before heading into the bedroom.

* * *

"Keys?" Carla asks, wheeling the pushchair out of the door.

"Key..." Ella repeats and I watch Carla's eyes light up.

"Ey!" She grins. "Another one for the dictionary."

"She'll be off to college next." I pat my wife on the back as she progresses out of the flat.

"You have got the key though?" She checks.

"Key!" Ella says again and I laugh.

"Yes I've got the key, shift." I hold it up to prove it to her as she heads down the corridor towards the lift.

"Key." Ella continues and Carla gives me a look. "Key."

"Ok, yes we get that you're super clever." I smile, no need to rub it in.

"Ah!" She squeals, happily. I press the ground floor button when we are in the elevator.

"Noisy today aren't we?" I ask her as the lift thuds to a stop. "Want me to have that?"

"Thank you." She passes me the pushchair and I wheel it out of the lift as she holds one of the glass doors of Victoria Court open. "Let's go and get grandad."

"I wonder what anecdotes he'll have in store for us today." I chuckle and she nudges me. We referred to Roy as grandad, because that's what he was to Ella; she would never have a real grandad because neither me or Carla had a dad. He doted on her though, so no one would have thought any different.

"Hi Roy." Carla pushes the door to Roy's Rolls open but he is already on the doorstep.

"You are two minutes behind schedule." Roy points to his watch.

"Sorry about that." Carla grins, linking her arm with his.

"Gramps!" Ella greets him, bobbing up and down excitedly in her pushchair.

"Hello." Roy waves to her before producing a teddy from his pocket. "Uh, I bought her a present."

"You don't have to do that every time Roy." Carla tells him as he passes it to Ella, she takes it and begins to chew on its ear. "But thank you. What do you say Ella?"

"Gramps!" She yells again.

"Yeah that'll do." I laugh.

"May I push her?" Roy asks and I hand her over.

"With pleasure." I shrug as Carla slings herself over my shoulders.

"Me and Hayley used to take Hope out..." Roy trails off at the thought. "When Fiz was in prison she was like our child."

"Well Ella adores you." I smile at him and Carla kisses my ear affectionately.

* * *

"Do you want to go on the swings?" Carla asks Ella, unstrapping her from her pushchair. "Yay!"

"I will look after her if you want to go and have some time to yourselves." Roy offers as Carla sits her in the swing.

"Ah, are you sure?" She asks and he nods. "Ok Ella, me and daddy are going for a walk. You be good ok?"

"Thanks Roy." I smile, taking Carla's hand in mine before waving at Ella. "He's brilliant with her."

"Mm..." Carla kisses my shoulder as I let go of her hand to wrap my arm around her. "I'm so happy. Right now. I hope you know that..."

"Seriously?" I kiss her on the side of the head and she stops, pulling me close as we lean up against the railings which border the lake.

"Yes of course." She smiles, latching onto the collar of my coat, her eyes moving slowly across the hem. "You've made me happy. Ella's made me happy. The future has made me happy."

"Don't get too carried away." I chuckle. "Might start thinking you have a heart."

"Oi!" She slaps me very lightly on the head and I laugh at her.

"I'm glad." I say in a more serious tone. "In fact that doesn't cut it... I made a promise to myself when we first got together that I would make you happy... Or before that. I wanted to see you smile. I wanted to make you feel loved."

"Nick..." Her eyes are tearing up slightly, taking in every element of my face with her eyes, her beautiful eyes. The eyes that were reflected in my daughter.

"I mean it." I scuff the floor with my shoe and she blushes slightly. "...I've never been happier either. I don't think I could be."

"Well good." She bites her lip and I move my eyes to meet hers again. "Looks like we're stuck with each other then."

"Shame." I nudge my nose against hers and she breathes into my skin, closing her eyes briefly for a few seconds. "I love you."

"I love you too." She whispers. "Forever?"

"Forever." I confirm, linking my finger with hers as we often did when we made promises.

* * *

"And then the summer fairy flew back home..." I hear Carla's soft voice and push the door to the nursery open ever so slightly. My eyes meet a scene in front of me where she was sat with Ella in her lap, reading her a story. "She sprinkled a bottle of fairy dust on her way and it brightened up the whole town, making sure they lived happily ever after again."

"Ba!" Ella squeals, pointing to the book.

"Fairy." Carla kisses the top of her head as Ella turns to look at her.

"Mamma." She grabs Carla's finger and she smiles. I smile. I had never seen anything more beautiful.

"Come on then." She picks her up and that's when she finally sees me. "How long have you been here?" She looks slightly embarrassed at this, which was adorable.

"Only a little while." I whisper as she props her up over her shoulder.

"Ah, would you mind grabbing her bottle from the kitchen?" She asks and I turn to go and get it. It was warm beneath my fingers as I carry it back to her.

"Daddy!" Ella points at me.

"Shh..." Carla soothes, taking the bottle from me. "Sleepy time now. Thanks sweetheart. Here you go." I watch as Ella sucks on the bottle appreciatively, her eyes slowly closing as my wife rocks her in her arms.

"Mm..." Ella murmurs, her long eyelashes fluttering open occasionally to look up at her mother.

"Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are." She sings quietly. "Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky..."

I wrap my arms around Carla's waist, securing her next to me and watching our baby fall asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

"Mm..." I shift uncomfortably, an unpleasant sense of nausea washing over me.

"You ok?" I hear Nick's voice and I turn to face him, weighing up the question.

"...No I'm gonna be sick." I mutter, sitting up suddenly.

"Bathroom." Nick points as if I didn't already know where it was. He's in and by my side instantly, pulling my hair back out of my face as I throw up the vile contents of my stomach.

"Ew..." I spit into the toilet, trying to remove the distaste from my mouth before flushing the chain.

"Any better?" He asks gently, still holding my hair back as I wipe my mouth.

"Yeah." I force a smile but he's not buying it.

"Let me..." He wets a cloth and wipes the layer of sweat from my forehead lovingly. "You're warm."

"Yeah probably because I just chucked my guts up." I point out.

"It's a good sign." He negotiates, looking slightly afraid that I'd lash out at him, but I didn't. "Come back to bed, I'll rub your tummy."

"What did I do to deserve you?" I inquire as he leads me by the hand back into the bedroom. "Uhh... It's six am?" I check the clock before climbing into bed, lying next to him so that he could place his hand on my tummy, rubbing it in circular motions. He knew I loved that from my first pregnancy and I sigh contently.

"Sickness has started." He kisses me on the forehead.

"Here we go again." I groan slightly.

* * *

"Walk to daddy." I stand Ella up, facing him. "Walk to him and then he'll give you some breakfast."

"Ella." Nick holds out his arms and she stumbles towards him. "Yay!"

"Well done baby girl." I clap my hands and she sits down abruptly once she has reached him, imitating me by clapping her hands.

"Breakfast time." Nick pulls the bowl of mashed up banana off the coffee table as I sit her in her high chair. "Are you sure you're ok with taking her into work today?"

"Yeah." I smile. Michelle was off planning a party this morning so she couldn't have Ella. Instead I was taking her with me to work in the hope she would behave herself. I go back over to the kitchen and lay down a chopping board.

"What are you doing?" Nick asks, as he spoon feeds Ella.

"Chopping up some vegetables and things for her." I tell him, getting some carrots out of the fridge. "She likes having something to chew on."

"Stop spitting it back out." Nick sighs, wiping her mouth with the spoon.

"Does she not like it?" I frown. "She's eaten that before."

"Ella it's good for you." He tells her, gathering a smaller spoonful.

"Here, you go do the vegetables." I offer, going over to him as he passes me the spoon. "Mmm." I murmur, spooning the banana into her mouth. "See you should have made your train sounds."

"Train." Ella gargles through a mouth of food.

* * *

"So these are the predicted output figures for the next season." I turn my computer screen to show Aidan. "So I suggest you print them and take them with you."

"Sure I can't persuade you to join me?" He asks as Ella begins to cry again.

"No I've got this one to look after." I sigh, getting up and unstrapping her from her baby bouncer. "Shh..."

"She doesn't half cry a lot." Aidan screws his nose up.

"Cheers for the sympathy." I roll my eyes, rocking her in my arms. "It's ok baby shh..." I soothe but she carries on crying.

"I'm calling Nick." Aidan pulls his phone out. "I'm not doing this meeting with a screaming baby present. That's not gonna help us is it?"

"He's trying to work." I argue, patting Ella on the back.

"Nick hi." Aidan greets down the phone. "Your child won't stop crying and we've got a meeting in ten minutes."

"Aidan! Stop it." I scold, trying to snatch the phone off him.

"Yeah and your wife is getting stressed out." He continues and I glare at him.

"I'm not stressed out at all." I snap as he sticks his tongue out at me.

"Yeah thanks mate." He keeps his eyes glued on me. "See you in a second."

"No! Aidan!" I yell before he hangs up. "Ella sweetheart please stop crying." I beg, offering her my finger as she grabs onto it. "Why did you do that? He's busy today."

"As are we!" He retaliates. "This isn't a nursery Carla, it's a business."

"Yeah _my_ business." I point out.

"Hey." Nick pushes the door open to the office and I turn to face him.

"Yes! Super man arrived." Aidan cheers.

"If you don't shut up I'm gonna knock you out." I warn him.

"Now is that helping?" Nick raises his eyebrows, holding out his arms to take our baby.

"He's been winding me up all morning." I point to Aidan after I pass Ella over.

"Ok chill out." Nick sighs before turning to Ella, bouncing her up and down ever so slightly as her cries turn to whimpers.

"Any chance you can have her for a bit?" Aidan asks. "I wouldn't ask only we do have an important meeting any second now."

"Uh yeah that's fine." He nods, once she has calmed down.

"No Nick, don't let him tell you what to do." I argue.

"You're the one telling him what to do." Aidan laughs.

"Oh shut up." I snap.

"Ok!" Nick silences us. "It's fine, seriously. Michelle's back now, she's just been into the Bistro to get some change. I'll go and drop her off there first."

"Do you want me to come with you?" I bite my lip, feeling guilty for pulling him out of work.

"No." He smiles. "You focus on your meeting, I'll see you later."

"Sure?" I question, trying to gather Ella's things.

"Yes Carla." He pats me on the shoulder, taking the bags off me and putting Ella in her carry chair. "Love you."

"Love you." I sigh and he kisses me quickly before leaving.

"Aww." Aidan grins as I turn to glare at him. "Sweet."

* * *

"Chelle hi." I greet as I enter the Rovers. "I hate to ask but I was wondering if you could have Ella for a few hours?"

"Oh yeah sure." She closes the till, beckoning to me. "Come through."

"Thanks." I smile, following her through to the back. "Uh, there's a bottle in there and some carrot sticks and things, she likes to chew on them."

"Ok." She nods, storing them next to the sofa. "...Are you ok?"

"Hey? Me?" I frown, confused at the concern in her voice. "Yeah course, why?"

"Just... It can't be easy for you both." She smiles warmly, unstrapping Ella from her chair. "Early nights and all that... Plus I know you're... Well, 'trying' again."

"Trying?" I repeat, knowing exactly what she meant but not how.

"For another baby..." She nods. "Carla tells me everything."

"...Does she?" I ask, curious as to how far she's going with this. "So what exactly do you know?"

"That you're trying for another baby." She shrugs. "She told me that a few months ago."

"Right." I reply, assuming she had no idea about the current pregnancy.

"Why don't you two go away for a few nights?" She offers and I contemplate the question. "You know, have some time to yourselves."

"To try for a baby?" I raise my eyebrows.

"No! I didn't mean that!" She laughs. "It just seems like you're both exhausted. I think you could both do with a break. I'll look after Ella, I love having her anyway."

"...Are you sure?" I check and she nods.

"Go and surprise Carla, she'll love it." She smiles. "I have a key to your flat so I can pop over and get anything Ella needs."

"Thank you Michelle." I respond gratefully. "She'll be over the moon at that."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

"Hiya." I say as the front door clicks and Carla enters the flat. She sighs heavily, leaning up against the door. "Bad day?"

"You could say that." She mutters, putting her bag down on the sofa before noticing the suitcases. "...What's going on?"

"We're going away." I answer and she narrows her eyes.

"Going away?" She repeats. "Where?"

"Liverpool." I inform her. "Booked a hotel, five star obviously."

"What about Ella?" She questions.

"Michelle's offered to have her." I reply.

"Work?" She raises her eyebrows.

"Spoken to Aidan, it's all fine." I smile.

"Nick..." She trails off. "What a lovely idea."

"Well actually it was Michelle's idea. Can't take all the credit." I admit. "But then I was planning on doing something for our one year anniversary anyway so..."

"Anniversary?" She frowns until a look of realisation washes over her. "Wedding anniversary... Oh God... That's tomorrow?"

"Yeah." I laugh and she looks extremely embarrassed at this.

"Oh my God..." She covers her mouth with her hand. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it." I soothe and she bites her lip.

"...I'm an awful wife." She says and I shake my head. "Who forgets their own wedding anniversary?"

"You wanna make it up to me you can get in this cab that's on its way now." I respond.

"...Have you packed my make-up?" She questions.

"Yep." I nod.

"Hair brush?" She checks.

"Yeah." I reply.

"Straighteners and toothbrush?" She continues.

"Yes!" I laugh as the buzzer rings. "Have faith in me ok? That'll be the cab now. You in or you out?"

"Ok." She smiles, following me out of the flat.

* * *

"Flipping heck Nick!" Carla gasps as she walks into the hotel room. "How much did you spend on this?"

"Didn't want to let the standards slip did I?" I reply, putting the key card down on the side table. The room was huge, with a king size bed in the middle of it, a large widescreen TV fitted on the wall, a side cabinet stacked with tea, coffee and biscuits with a mini fridge beneath it.

"You get points for this." She grins, looking like a kid in a sweet shop.

"Wow thanks." I laugh. "Do those points contribute towards anything?"

"Yeah, you'll see." She lowers her tone, leaning up against the wall and breathing a sigh of relief.

"You ok?" I ask.

"Time away." She smiles, her eyes closed. "Just me and you, no stress, just relaxation."

"I thought you could do with a few good nights sleep." I sit down on the bed and she opens her eyes to look at me.

"You didn't have to do this." She murmurs, watching me from where she was stood against the red and gold wallpaper.

"Yeah well I wanted to." I shrug and she comes over to me, lying down on the bed, her hair fanning out behind her. I lie down next to her and she turns her head to meet mine. "Because you deserve it and I love you."

"Mm..." She gives a satisfied hum, her eyes softly engraving my face.

"I mean it." I whisper. "I'm so grateful for everything you've done... I've never felt like this before. Ever. I never thought I could feel like this."

"Well things are definitely a lot different to how I planned them seven years ago." She whispers and I exhale pleasantly.

"Isn't that a thought." I smile and she looks into my eyes for a few seconds before moving in to kiss me.

* * *

"I'd love to compare these prices to the ones in Freshco's." I read the menu attached to the fridge and Carla laughs from the bed.

"I've got more important things on my mind." She giggles and I turn my head to where she was lying, duvet wrapped around her naked frame, clothes scattered all over the floor. I was wearing possibly the most comfortable dressing gown ever, which I had found in the wardrobe next to our bed.

"Seriously." I point out. "It's ten pounds for a tub of salt and vinegar nuts."

"Oh yeah, pass some of them over." She replies and I pull them out of the fridge, throwing them behind me where they land softly on the bed. "Nick I didn't mean it."

"Yes you did." I grin as she tears the lid off, crunching on them happily. "It's a good job you can't drink though, these spirits cost a bomb."

"Ah well there's one advantage." She smiles as I turn to look at her again, getting up and going back to join her. I climb back into bed, her head resting on my shoulder as she nibbles on her snack.

"You enjoying that?" I laugh, kissing her hair and she stuffs one in my mouth.

"Haven't had nuts for ages." She mutters.

"You just had some." I point out and she slaps me lightly.

"They're not as good." She jokes and I stick my tongue out at her. "I'd love a cup of tea to go with them though."

"Oh no." I shake my head. "I'm not getting up again."

"Uh, I'm pregnant with your child." She persists, meeting my eyes with hers.

"Mm..." I mumble, kissing her forehead. "Ok fine."

"Actually no." She pulls me back down, shifting closer to me. "Stay with me."

* * *

"Open your mouth." I order and she raises her eyebrows.

"Not the first time you've said that." She grins and I throw a pillow at her.

"Carla!" I cry and she laughs hysterically. "I'm not wasting any of these nuts, you're catching them in your mouth."

"Nick stop." She face plants the bed, rolling over onto her back and burying her face in her hands, laughing to herself.

"You have such a dirty mind." I shake my head.

"Mm yeah." She sits up, moving closer to me. "But it comes in handy doesn't it?"

"Can't argue with that." I kiss her and she leans her forehead against mine.

"Ok." She murmurs. "Seriously..."

"Oh God..." I mutter.

"We are going to be ok aren't we?" She whispers, placing a kiss on my forehead.

"Of course." I reply. "I told you before... I've never felt this way about anyone else. _Anything_ else. I'm not giving that up."

"Good because me neither." She smiles, kissing me again.

* * *

"This complementary toothpaste they provide us with..." I rinse my toothbrush and put it down on the side before exiting the bathroom. "It's better than anything you can buy at the-"

I stop when I see Carla, fast asleep on the bed. I sit down next to her, smiling to myself, smiling at how beautiful she was. Never in a million years did I think I could be as happy as I was now; a beautiful wife, daughter, child on the way, a successful business, a caring family despite the difficulties, a home filled with love, where we began our journey together. Where we would end our journey together, when the day came, when everything we had achieved would be passed on to our children. Our beautiful children, that we never thought we would have, but together realised we could never have wanted anything more.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

I open my eyes to find myself in somewhere other than mine and Nick's bedroom. However I feel his arms wrapped around me and my head resting on his warm chest. His heart was beating beneath my ear, steady, gentle.

"Happy anniversary." He whispers and I jump slightly at the sound of his voice, I wasn't aware he was already awake. I turn my head to look at him and smile, my fingers tightening around his hand that was glued to my tummy.

"Mm..." I move my other hand to cover my face, still feeling sleepy. "Happy anniversary."

"Did you sleep well?" He kisses my hair and I give a satisfied sigh.

"Mm." I croak again and he laughs at my usual morning voice. "Best nights sleep in a long time." I move my hand from my face to link with one of his, staring at our entwined fingers intently. "Did I fall asleep?"

"Yes." He laughs, placing more kisses into my hair. "You looked happy."

"I am happy." I respond. "Although I think we've said that word far too many times."

"Yeah well it's a good word to overuse." He smiles. "We'll have to teach it to Ella next."

"Can we just stay here all day?" I mumble, settling back into him. "Make the most of the hotel room..."

"Oh will we now?" He chuckles and I groan when I realise how badly that was phrased. "We could... Then again there's a whole city out there and it is our anniversary. I think I have a right to treat you."

"Ok you swayed me." I smile as he plants kisses down my arm. "Just fifteen more minutes please?"

"Half an hour." He whispers, the warmth of his body encasing me as my eyes close again.

* * *

"Ready?" Nick asks as I lean up against the outside of the bathroom door, looking at him cautiously.

"...What if I'm sick on the streets?" I pull a face.

"Do you feel sick again?" He asks, concerned.

"Yeah." I confirm and he closes the front door to the room. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry." He shakes his head, putting my bag down on the bed.

"Can we buy some crackers when we're out?" I ask, my stomach uneasy.

"One sec." He opens the cupboard full of snacks and pulls out a packet of crackers. "Here you go."

"They're like ten quid." I shake my head.

"So?" He frowns.

"That's expensive." I prompt.

"I don't care, if you want crackers, you have them." He insists and I take them off him reluctantly, tearing open the packet and biting off a corner before knowing I was going to hurl. "Toilet." Nick points to it, not feeling having to to pay for a new carpet as well. I lean over the basin and he pulls my hair out of the way, gathering it between his fingers. I upchuck a load of vile tasting liquid, my stomach aching and pulsating at the motions. It tastes so horrible I want to cry. My chest was tightening as I heaved but Nick was rubbing my back gently.

"Ugh..." I groan, my whole body aching and sweating, my breathing rate racing.

"It's ok." Nick whispers, still rubbing my back. I grab a piece of bog roll and wipe the remnants of the acidic substance from my mouth. "Finished?"

"Sorry." I sigh and he strokes my hair back from my face gently.

"Stop saying that word." He smiles and I look up at him, I can tell I must look awful because there's a look of concern in his eyes when he sees me. He flushes the toilet and helps me up, wetting a cloth and wiping the sweat from my face. It removes most of my make up that I had recently applied but I didn't care. "Ok?" He whispers, kissing me on the forehead as I wrap my arms around him.

"I've ruined our day." I mumble into his shoulder.

"No you haven't." He tells me. "As long as I spend it with you that's all that matters."

"What, even if it's watching me keel over a toilet seat?" I wipe a tear from my cheek, tilting my head to the side so that I can feel his heart beat.

"Whatever it takes." He whispers.

* * *

"What's that?" I raise my eyebrows at Nick as he brings our drinks over, placing them down on the table. I take a sip of my lemonade and he gives me a look.

"This would appear to be a mineral water." He informs me.

"Why?" I ask exasperatedly.

"Because I'm thirsty." He laughs and I shake my head.

"You should have had a glass of wine." I sigh, knowing it was no use trying to convince him. He never liked to tempt me, so if I wasn't drinking he usually wouldn't either.

"I didn't want a glass of wine." He takes my hand in his over the table.

"I love you." I say and he laughs at this.

"Well that's always good." He grins and I bite my lip.

"Thank you for being so understanding earlier." I smile gratefully.

"Understanding is my middle name." He replies and I laugh.

"Mm, for some reason they said it was Paul on our wedding day." I remind him.

"No, that was your first husband." He points out. "Not your fourth."

"Must have a thing with that name." I continue.

"Yeah but we don't mention it." He prompts me. "Hence why we did our wedding day without anyone else watching."

"It wasn't really planned that way." I tell him.

"No because you were so desperate to marry me you had to do it there and then." He jokes and I slap his hand lightly.

"Liam's middle name was Barrington." I tease and he rolls his eyes. "You got off lightly."

"Good old Liam." He studies me.

"Liam was lust..." I trail off.

"No he wasn't." Nick shakes his head. "He was the love of your life."

"Yeah maybe at one point." I sigh. "Until I met Peter... Then I fell in love with you."

"Third choice." He looks slightly saddened at this.

"No actually." I lift his chin with my finger. "First choice because you're the one I'm not giving up and who didn't give up on me."

"Oh well I am honoured." He responds sarcastically.

"Oi!" I snap, before taking his hand again. "I put a lot of effort into these emotional speeches I give you Nicholas, I mean every word."

"Ok, keep your hormones in tact." He teases.

"Nick!" I scold and he beckons me over, I stand as he pulls me into his lap, my head tilted against his shoulder. He kisses me on the side of the head, wrapping a lock of hair around his finger. "Are we supposed to do this in a pub?"

"I don't think there's laws against intimate contact in public places." Nick laughs. "Yet."

"Intimate contact ey?" I giggle and he gives me a light shove before kissing me. His lips are warm against my own and the flick of his tongue sends the usual chill down my spine. "Mm..." I mumble as he releases me. "Ok yeah I'll give you that one."

* * *

It was dark when we got back to the hotel room. Which for midsummer, meant we had been out until late, doing absolutely nothing but lazing around, which was heaven for the moment.

"Drink?" Nick offers before I grab the hem of his T-shirt, pulling him closer to me.

"No." I kiss him. "Unless you're thirsty."

"It can wait." He smiles, his hands moving to my back as I cup his face with mine. I part his lips with my tongue, breathing in the kiss. Needing him closer to me, needing him with me.

"Thank you for a good day." I murmur, as I move down to his neck, massaging his sensitive spots with my tongue, causing him to let out a light groan.

"You deserved it." He whispers. "It was your anniversary present."

"Mm..." I murmur, meeting his eyes and biting down on his lip slightly. "Now let me give you yours."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

"You know we're supposed to check out at eleven?" I ask Carla, who is still lying in bed, munching on crackers whilst she watches me get ready.

"So? I can just jump out of bed and get in the cab." She shrugs. "Who's gonna see me?"

"Me." I raise my eyebrows.

"You've seen me give birth Nicholas." She points out. "And you still haven't left me so I don't really care what I look like in front of you."

"Charming." I grin before going and laying down next to her. I put my arm around her frame and she places her head on my shoulder. "You ready to get back to the real world?"

"I've had plenty of practice." She mumbles, still nibbling on crackers. "Plus we get to see our baby girl again."

"Our family." I whisper, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. "As much as I love just me and you."

"It's not though is it?" She smiles, taking my hand and placing it on her tummy. "This one follows us everywhere for the next few months."

"You know we need to go for a scan at some point?" I persist, rubbing her tummy gently.

"I know. It's just so much hassle." She sighs. "The last pregnancy seemed so... Mechanical."

"What do you mean?" I frown.

"Well... I just think it might be nice to do this one more naturally." She explains. "That's what it's about isn't it? It's about me and you and Ella and this little one."

"Ok." I nod, kissing her hair. "Well whatever you want to do I will be happy with."

"...What do you think about a home birth?" She suggests and I'm slightly taken aback.

"Jesus Carla!" I exclaim. "You really are thinking ahead aren't you?"

"No..." She trails off. "It's just... Hospitals... Last time, it wasn't us, you know? I want to be somewhere that we both love, where we are happy, that we bring our baby into straight away. With all the memories we've made... That we're going to make. As a family."

"You know last time you wouldn't even think about the birth until about a month before hand?" I prompt her.

"Yeah well I've grown up." She smiles, rolling over to face me, her eyes meeting mine. "I'm serious about this, you know? I wasn't before but now... Now I really know what I want."

"Now you're a mother." I tell her and her eyes melt slightly. "Ok. Home birth it is."

* * *

"Hey!" Carla exclaims as we enter the Rovers, running over to Ella as Michelle passes her into her arms.

"Hiya!" Michelle beams. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah." I smile at her, watching as Carla rocks Ella gently in her arms.

"Oh, I got you a little something to say thank you." Carla tells her, beckoning to me to pass her a plastic bag.

"Ah, you didn't have to." Michelle sighs. "We had a good time didn't we?"

"Did you have fun with Auntie Mimi?" Carla asks Ella as she grabs a strand of her hair.

"Mimi!" Ella exclaims. "Mamma!"

"She did some walking for me." Michelle marvels and Carla's eyes light up.

"Did you?" She gasps. "Well done baby girl!"

"And she also learnt to say no." Michelle laughs.

"Ah, takes after her mother then." I nudge her and she sticks her tongue out.

"Go to daddy." She passes her over to me and I balance her on my hip.

"Drink?" Michelle offers.

"Sparkling water please." Carla says.

" _Sparkling water_?" Michelle repeats.

"Yeah." She nods.

"...Not a glass of red?" She narrows her eyes. "Ah... I see... My idea worked then."

"What?" Carla frowns. "No! No I'm just thirsty that's all."

"Mm... Yeah ok." Michelle nods, going to get her drink.

"Michelle!" Carla argues. "You sent us away for three nights!"

"Yeah and that's plenty of time..." She grins, passing over a glass of fizzy water.

"I'm pretty sure it's a bit early to know anything if that's the case." She hisses. "No, we just took some time off, enjoyed ourselves didn't we?"

"Ok whatever you say." Michelle shrugs, walking off into the back.

"...I'm gonna smack her one in a minute." She whispers and I raise my eyebrows at her, bouncing Ella up and down slightly on my hip. "What?"

"It's a bit obvious." I dare to say and she gives me a look before turning back to her daughter.

* * *

"Mm, broccoli." I offer Ella a stick of it and she takes it from me excitedly, gnawing down on it.

"Broc!" She bites down on it.

"Oli." I finish her sentence. "Broccoli."

"Dadda!" She yells.

"Have we got any painkillers?" Carla asks, coming out of the bedroom in her dressing gown.

"Yeah." I get a box out of the cupboard. "You alright?"

"Just a bit of a headache." She smiles at me, hugging me from behind and balancing her head on my shoulder. "What've you got?" She asks Ella, who was sat on the kitchen surface, still chewing her vegetable.

"Do you like that?" I ask her and she looks at me, her eyes wide.

"Bababa." She babbles, holding the broccoli stalk up in the air.

"You watching her?" She places a kiss on my cheek before moving to open the box of paracetamol.

"No, I'm going to let her jump off." I tease, watching as she swallows a tablet down with water.

"Come here." She holds out her arms, picking her up and spinning her around gently. "Mummy's missed you." She whispers and this melts me, sending a warm shiver down my spine. "What's for dinner?"

"Fish, boiled potatoes and broccoli." I inform her and she gives me a weird look.

"You trying to tell me something?" She asks. "That's very healthy."

"So?" I laugh.

"So I'm gonna be the size of a house soon." Carla reminds me. "I'm gonna milk this."

"Well then you can have a big fish." I joke and she glares at me. "I'm not having our baby coming out looking like a McDonald's chip."

"I don't want our baby coming out looking like you." She responds, sulkily.

"That's a shame because I think there's a chance that might happen." I laugh. "Hopefully..."

"Yeah you don't know." She raises her eyebrows as I take Ella off her, lifting her up into the air.

"Mummy's moody." I sing to Ella.

"No I'm not!" She exclaims.

"Hormones." I keep talking to Ella which irritates her even more. "Don't get on the wrong side of her and your baby sibling."

"Yeah it's us vs. You two." Carla tells me. "Game on."

"I don't know, can we take them Ella?" I ask her and she looks at me, confused. "Say yes daddy!"

"Daddy!" She yells.

"That'll do." I smile and kiss her on the top of the head before going and hugging Carla affectionately.

* * *

"Budge up you." I tap Carla's leg once I've put Ella to bed. I sit down and put my arm around her, as she slides her head against my shoulder.

"She asleep?" She whispers, nursing a cup of tea in her hands.

"Yeah." I kiss her on the forehead. "Still got a headache?"

"Not really." She sighs. "We're gonna need to book this scan."

"Hey." I lift her head with my finger. "Why are you worried about it?"

"Don't know..." She trails off. "I'm not."

"Don't think negatively ok?" I kiss her forehead again. "You've gotta be eight weeks by now."

"You think?" She frowns.

"When did we take the test?" I ask. "Like five weeks ago?"

"Chelle already knows..." She murmurs. "I didn't even need to tell her."

"Is that such a bad thing?" I reply. "She was good support last time."

"Yeah but it's just... The more people who know..." She whispers.

"The more real it becomes." I smile. "That's a good thing. We're having another baby."

"Another baby." She meets her eyes with mine and I kiss her on the lips, cupping her face with my hand. "Ok, let's sort out this scan."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

"Ice cream, now." I say as I walk out of the bedroom, seeing Ella in her baby bouncer. "Hi sweetheart. Nick do we have any ice cream?"

"There's chocolate in the freezer." He calls from the bedroom.

"Good." I pull the door open, ripping off the lid of the tub and eating it with a spoon.

"Classy." Nick raises his eyebrows as he walks towards the kitchen.

"I need it so bad." I moan, scooping it into my mouth.

"Don't give yourself brain freeze." He chuckles, slipping his arms around my waist. "Nutritious breakfast."

"Don't lecture me." I warn him and he kisses me on the side of my head. "I've been craving this all night."

"So, so far we've had crackers, ice cream and salt and vinegar crisps and nuts." Nick makes a mental note. "I'll make sure we're stocked up on them."

"Yeah and you're gonna need to get some pickles." I sigh. "I hate them."

"Yeah same." He smiles, watching as I put the lid back on the tub.

"Ella doesn't even like pickles so why did she want them last time?" I scrunch my nose up, turning to face him.

"I don't know ask her." He laughs before kissing me. "You taste like ice cream."

"Oh what a surprise." I respond. "Ice cream is good yeah?"

"Better than pickles." He kisses me again, wrapping me in a warm embrace.

* * *

"You got time for a chat?" I ask as I enter the Rovers and Michelle nods, beckoning for me to come through.

"What's up?" She frowns, sitting down on the sofa.

"I think you know what's up." I sigh and she grins at me.

"Knew it!" She points. "I bet you took a test as soon as you got back."

"No... It's not like that." I stop her and she frowns. "I'm actually ten weeks now."

"Ten?" She gasps.

"Yeah I was pregnant before we went away." I inform her. "We found out a few weeks after Ella's first birthday."

"Congratulations!" She cheers, taking my hand in hers.

"You're not mad?" I ask.

"Why would I be mad?" She laughs. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Just because I didn't tell you sooner." I shrug.

"...You are happy aren't you?" She checks and I nod.

"Yes! Course I am Chelle!" I nudge her slightly. "I'm over the moon."

"Then what's the matter?" She says quietly, concern in her eyes.

"I just... We went for a scan two weeks ago." I explain. "They said everything was fine... But..."

"You don't feel like it is?" Michelle guesses.

"Last time was a lucky streak." I sigh. "There were a few instances... We were so careful you know? I'm just worried we might be getting too confident."

"You're ten weeks." Michelle reminds me. "You're in the safe zone."

"I really want this baby Chelle." I study her. "For Ella, for Nick, for me. It will just make everything perfect."

"And you will." She smiles. "I promise you, you will."

* * *

I enter the Bistro to see Nick stood with his back to me. I glide over and throw my hands over his eyes.

"You work too hard." I whisper.

"Oh you hypocrite." He turns, as I slide my arms around his neck.

"I've been talking to Chelle." I smile up at him.

"Which has clearly put you in a good mood." He kisses me lightly.

"We've been talking pregnancy." I fiddle with his tie, his arms wrapped around my waist, supporting me. "I hope you don't mind."

"So while I've been working away here, you've been talking about our unborn child?" He raises his eyebrows.

"Shh." I raise a finger to his lips, a huge smile on my face. "Ok... I've decided no more doubts."

"Doubts?" He frowns.

"I know, I've been a bit distant." I sigh. "But I want another baby. In fact I want one so bad I've been paranoid... But that stops now alright? Because me and you and Ella and this little one, we're going to be a family."

"Carla." He whispers, kissing me before lifting me up and sitting me on the top of a nearby table. "I love you."

"I love you too." I bite my lip. "...Do you have any cheesecake on the menu because I'm starving."

"Coming right up." He laughs, kissing me one last time before disappearing.

* * *

"No Ella, not in there." I sigh down the phone, going to pick her up. Now she was so mobile on her feet and hands she was exploring everywhere, which meant we had to keep an eye on her all the time. "Sorry Mr Henley, it's my daughter, up to no good again."

"Ah how is the little minx?" He asks.

"She's alright yeah, very talkative and up and about." I balance the phone between my shoulder and ear before picking her up. "Come here, in your high chair."

"Sorry?" Mr Henley responds.

"No not you, um..." I fret. "Ok so we have a meeting on Friday? Is that still ok for you?"

"Big!" Ella yells, pointing to the big saucepan that was sat on the kitchen surface.

"Yeah, I'll let you get back to it." He says.

"Thank you." I reply. "I'll have the figures through to you by tomorrow afternoon."

"Very well." He confirms. "Speak soon then."

"Bye." I hang up, putting my phone down on the side.

"Ah, my two favourite girls in one room." Nick calls as the door swings open.

"I should hope so." I smile, spooning mashed potato mixed with peas into Ella's mouth.

"Daddy!" She squeals, almost knocking the bowl off her high chair tray in excitement.

"Sorry I'm late back." He says. "Mad rush tonight."

"It's ok, we've been watching television haven't we?" I ask Ella and she nods, despite the fact she can probably only understand pieces of what I was saying. "What were we watching? Wonder Park and then we did some counting."

"Counting ey?" Nick raises his eyebrows as Ella takes another spoonful of food.

"Well it was more me counting, her copying and having no clue what I was going on about." I grin. "But we're getting there."

"Yeah well I brought you some brownie home as we had spares to make it up to you." He places down a tin foil packet on the table before sitting down in a seat opposite me.

"Ah, you don't have to make it up to me baby." I reply, continuing to feed Ella. "However I'm extremely grateful for he brownie, thank you."

"Are we going to go through an obsessive chocolate phase again?" He laughs. "Like last time?"

"Um, I was not that bad!" I grin at him before turning to Ella. "It was your fault greedy girl." I poke her lightly on the nose and she giggles happily.

"She hasn't changed then." He observes how she was finishing off the bowl of potato, hammering her fist on the tray of her high chair for more.

"Uh, you can have a yogurt that's it." I offer her. "Do you want a yogurt?"

She looks confused so I go to the fridge and hold one up for her to see.

"Yogurt." I demonstrate and her eyes light up.

"Yog..." She reaches out and I go and sit down, discarding the empty dish on the table.

"I'll put that in the dishwasher." Nick picks it up and takes it over, before coming back and placing his hands on my shoulders. "I hope you're appreciative of mummy taking care of you all evening."

"Mummy!" She points at me and I nod, feeding her the yogurt.

"So now I'm going to put you to bed." He continues.

"Who? Me or her?" I grin and he kisses the top of my head, breathing in the scent of my shampoo.

"Mm..." He mumbles. "You're going to have a nice long bath."

"Oh am I now?" I smile looking up at him so he can kiss my lips.

"Yes you are." He studies me lovingly. "I'm gonna go run it now so call me when she's done with that."

"Thank you." I kiss him one more time before he goes off to the bathroom. "Oh and Nick-"

"Yeah I know." He replies loudly. "Lavender bubble bath."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

"Tuna." I say.

"Tuna." Nick repeats.

"Prawns." I continue.

"Prawns." He writes it down on the list.

"Avocado." I add.

"Avocado?" He frowns. "Since when do we eat that anyway?"

"Had it in a salad the other day." I respond. "I was sick three times ok, we don't go near the avocado."

"Alright then." He scribbles it down, observing the list. "So, cravings consist of; salt and vinegar products, ice cream, crackers, pickles, Baby Belle's, chocolate, more chocolate, a bit more chocolate..."

"Yes yes I get the picture." I give him a look.

"On the flip side, the no-no's are; eggs, whipped cream, soft cheese, tomatoes, tuna, prawns and avocado." He reads out. "I'll pin this on the fridge so all are warned."

"Eugh... It's the dairy products." I pull a face at the thought. "And tomatoes."

"And basically fish." He nods. "Which was what I was making for tea, so take out for us."

"Ah, really?" I grin, in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah I'm gonna order you an avocado, on its own." I tease her. "With a side of avocado and an avocado smoothie."

"Stop saying avocado." I hold my hand up. "I'll hurl, on you."

"New suit." He points out.

"Right well I'm going back to bed." I tease, kissing him lightly. "Because some of us don't have to work on weekends."

"Sure you don't want me to take the day off?" He asks and I shake my head.

"Nope. You go to work." I kiss him again, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I'm taking Ella to see your mother today anyway."

"Oh lucky Ella ey." He laughs and kisses me one more time before leaving.

* * *

"Morning." I call as I enter the Platt's house, wheeling the pushchair through the front door.

"Where's my darling granddaughter?" Gail beams, picking her up out of the push chair. Just the greeting I was hoping for... "Hi Carla sweetheart, how are you?" She balances Ella on her hip, rocking her back and forth slightly.

"I'm ok." I park the pushchair up by the wall and take the liberty of sitting down on the sofa, as she clearly wasn't going to offer. "You alright?"

"Oh it's busy over here as ever." She chirps, carrying Ella into the kitchen to put the kettle on. "Max is constantly on his X box playing this Call Of Donkey or something."

"Duty." I correct her.

"Anyway, so he's obsessed with this and Lily's recently got this new bike, she keeps trying to ride it in the house." She babbles. "It's driving Kylie up the wall, literally."

"Right." I nod slowly. "Yeah sometimes I'm glad that Ella's just into farm noises and things..."

"Ah, she'll be a proper little diva when she grows up." Gail coos.

"Takes after me then." I force a smile.

"Maybe you'll have another one before you get too old." She continues and I try my best to not look offended. "A little boy might be nice."

"Yeah well careful what you wish for." I mutter, but she doesn't take the hint.

* * *

"Bye." I roll my eyes as soon as I make it out of the house. "Between me and you Ella, I've never been lucky with my mother-in-laws. In fact, your nanny Gail is probably the nicest of the lot, would you believe that?" I open the door to the Bistro and Nick locks eyes with me straight away.

"You been talking to yourself again?" He greets.

"Our daughter actually." I give him a look. "We need to talk."

"...That never sounds good." He puts down his pen.

"It's good, don't worry." I place a finger under his chin. "We need to-"

"Pig!" Ella yells, pointing at the picture of a pig in her picture book.

"Yay!" I clap my hands, bending down and kissing her on the top of her head. "Oink oink."

"Carla?" Nick persists.

"Oh yeah sorry." I laugh. "I was thinking maybe we should tell-"

"Cow!" Ella squeals again, practically hammering the picture of the animal that lay before her. "Cow cow!"

"Yep, that's right." I smile at her. "Moo goes the-"

"We need to tell my family?" Nick cuts me off.

"Wow, you are a mind reader." I reply, shiftily. "I just think it's going to start showing soon and Gail's already on to us."

"On to us?" He raises his eyebrows. "This isn't a murder mystery babe."

"Hmm, it will be if you don't stop being so sarcastic with me." I grin, grabbing hold of his tie over the counter. "What's up?"

"Nothing." He shakes his head. "I'm just exhausted from working all morning, it's been non-stop."

"Evidently." I point out the fact that he hasn't moved from where he was doodling on a pad since I arrived. "Ok... So how about you take the afternoon off?"

"You told me this morning not to." He chuckles and I try my best to be alluring to him.

"Yeah well I changed my mind." I bite my lip and his eyes search my face. "We could go for a picnic."

"A picnic?" He laughs, double kissing me. "Where has Carla Tilsley gone?"

"Uh no, that was Carla _Connor_." I grin. " _This_ is Carla Tilsley. It's what you've turned me into, I hope you're proud of yourself."

"Maybe I do have super powers." He responds. "With my mind reading skills and all... Ok, I'll go tell Leanne I'm taking the afternoon off."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

Once I had changed out of my suit, swapped it with a navy t-shirt and a pair of shades, we were back out of the flat again, popping into Freshco's for some supplies. It was so unlike us; Nick and Carla, taking their daughter out on a picnic to the local park. But we changed each other, that was something we had learnt over the years.

Despite the fact it was September, it was still glorious sunshine. The leaves on the trees were only just beginning to darken and the breeze was gentle in Carla's hair, as she walked along next to me, pushing the pram that Ella was in. She was singing slightly to her, enjoying every moment of this freedom.

"This is a big picnic for two adults and a one year old." I decide to say and she finally turns her head to look at me.

"She eats more than both of us put together." She smiles before stopping at a grassy patch in the park.

"Are you seriously gonna sit down on the grass?" I raise my eyebrows.

"Uh, no what do you take me for?" She replies, pulling a travel rug out from the push chair hold.

"I don't really think you can sink any lower." I respond, as she lays out the rug and un-straps Ella from her push chair.

"Married you didn't I?" She retaliates.

"Hilarious." I roll my eyes, sitting down next to her and laying food out from the bag I had been carrying. "The pickles and mustard can go over there by mummy." I pull a face as I hand them to her as Ella pulls herself up and toddles over to me. She still wasn't exactly steady on her feet, but she was walking a few metres at a time now.

"Food." She points to the bag.

"Uh, I've cut you up some celery sticks, you eat those first." Carla pulls a plastic box out of the push chair hold.

"Spoilsport." I pull Ella into my lap. "Mummy's a spoilsport isn't she Ell?"

"I just want her to have a balanced diet." She offers her a stick of celery.

"Chocolate finger." I hold up and Ella grabs it off me. Carla attempts to keep the smile off her face but fails.

"See this is why daddy gets all the huggles." She shrugs. "If he was feeding you, you'd be the size of me in a few months time."

"God help us all." I kiss the top of Ella's head.

* * *

I stroke Carla's hair back as she lays it in my lap, watching Ella play with her blocks on the rug in front of us. My wife is linking daisy chains, closing her eyes every so often to appreciate the surroundings. I move my other hand down to her tummy to rub it gently, when I feel it is rounded slightly.

"You're getting a bump already." I tell her, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice.

"Mm I know." She smiles, not moving from her current position. "That's why we need to tell people. Else they'll just find out for themselves."

"That's early, surely." I frown, tracing my finger around her belly button.

"Almost four months." She informs me. "I read up on it, apparently it's perfectly normal."

"I'm sure it is." I reassure her, wrapping her hair between my fingers and massaging her scalp. "You just didn't say anything that's all."

"As oppose to last time, when I had a melt down in the bathroom?" She smiles and I let out a low hum. "Things have changed."

"For the better yeah?" I link my little finger with hers, as if we were children and we lock eyes for a second.

"Daddy!" Ella squeals and we both turn our attention from each other to her. "Moo moo." She holds up a block with a picture of a cow on.

"That's right sweetheart." I give her a thumbs up before placing it back on Carla's tummy. "She's good with her animals isn't she?"

"She likes animals a lot." Carla ponders, placing her hand on top of mine. "Oh God... She's gonna be one of those nature freaks isn't she?"

"Nature freaks?" I laugh. "Why because she likes animals? Just be glad she's not learning the names of class A drugs."

"That was my first vocabulary booklet." She jokes, focusing her eyes on the daisy chain she was continuing to make.

"Are you proud of yourself?" I ask her and her hands pause in midair.

"Yeah." She confirms. "I tell you what; I'm surprised. But... If someone told me when I was back living on that estate that one day I'd be here... Well I'd have smashed their face in for having a joke."

"Literally?" I guess.

"Yeah literally." She looks up at me, content at the way my fingers were playing with her hair. "I was a tough kid, I've been worn down over the years."

"Never thought I'd hear you say that." I smile before she goes back to watching Ella.

"I love her Nick." She whispers. "I never ever thought I would but I do. She's my world. She means everything to me, as well as you. If I didn't have you two in my life... Maybe I wouldn't be here now."

"Don't say that." I hush her softly and she puts her daisy chain down on the floor, sitting up and sliding herself into my lap, so I can wrap my arms around her. I keep my hands on her tummy and she leans her head back into my chest.

"...You know it's two years today?" She says so quietly I hardly hear her.

"What is?" I frown, kissing her hair and feeling her freeze slightly.

"This time two years ago... I was stood on the edge of that quarry." She whispers and a lump forms in my throat. "...How times change."

"Don't..." I mumble, my arms tightening around her frame, protecting her. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to forget the pain and suffering she put herself through, that I tried to get her out of. It physically hurt me to bring those memories back, when we were so far from what we were back then.

"If I'd have jumped..." She's barely whispering, under the fear that Ella might hear her. "I wouldn't be married to you, I wouldn't have Ella, or be pregnant again. I wouldn't have the flat, the business, my friends, family... I'd have nothing. If someone had told me that day... What it would be like in two years time, I wouldn't even have dreamt of it."

"But you didn't." I remind her. "You didn't because you're strong. Look what you've achieved since then? You never ever thought you would have children and you love her... Them, more than the world."

"One day I'll tell her." She sighs. "When she's older I mean, a lot older. I'll tell her about what I went through, not just the quarry but... Everything. Paul, Liam, Tony, Frank, Peter... The siege, the rape, the fire, the minibus crash... Losing love, gaining love. All for this."

"If none of that had happened..." I trail off. "You wouldn't be here today. With us, with this."

"I know." She nods, turning to face me, kneeling before my eyes so that they were level with hers. "And I wouldn't trade a second of it... Because I love you... And now I'm gonna go lie back in your lap because that was comfortable."

"Go ahead." I laugh, relieved at her sudden change of heart as she returns to her original position.

"Platts, Connors, Roy, Bistro staff, Underworld staff..." She begins to list, counting them on her fingers.

"What are you doing?" I ask, placing a kiss to her forehead.

"Counting up the number of people we need to tell." She giggles. "And fast, because this clearly isn't gonna wait a while."

"Time to get the maternity clothes out." I smile and she groans slightly but doesn't argue. "You're wearing leggings today, I should've guessed."

"You were too busy going on about avocados this morning." She grins and I nudge her.

"Uh, you started that thank you." I tease and she laughs, as we return to silence before Ella crawls towards us. "Hello baby girl."

"Choc." She begs, pointing to the half eaten box of chocolate fingers.

"One." I offer but Carla pulls another one out, giving it to her.

"Two." She negotiates before looking up at me. "See we can both be good cop."

"One." I get one out and tap it lightly on Carla's nose before feeding it into her mouth.

"One." Ella holds up the two, now halves of chocolate fingers.

"No, that's two." I tell her and she frowns. "Mummy has one."

"Mummy's gonna eat them all." She rolls her eyes. "Thanks to baby brother or sister here."

"Yeah yeah, blame them." I stroke her hair back and she nibbles on it, biting the chocolate off around the biscuit.

"More." Ella reaches out trying to take Carla's.

"One." I give her another one.

"Fatty." Carla prods her in the belly slightly and Ella giggles.

* * *

"Ella, do you wanna go and feed the ducks?" Carla stands up, hauling her into the pushchair. I proceed to tidy away our rubbish, putting it in a nearby bin. "You could recycle that you know?"

"Oh when did you start being all eco-friendly?" I kiss her on the cheek before rolling up the picnic rug and putting it in the hold of the pushchair. "Give me that." I take the pushchair from her and begin to wheel it off the grass.

"Duck!" Ella squeals when we near the lake, I pick her up and balance her on my hip whilst Carla offers her pieces of bread to throw towards them.

"Do you ever stop eating?" Carla asks her as she stuffs a piece of bread in her mouth.

"Not for you." I scold her. "That's going stale, it's been sat out in the sun all day."

"Daddy no." She persists.

"Daddy no." Carla teases, nudging me and resting her head on my shoulder as the sun begins to set.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

 _ **This is a bit of a filler chapter before things start spiralling;) leave a review? Really motivates me to write more, thanks guys for all your support!**_

"I've come to deliver the news myself." I swing the door open to the office. "As my husband is still in the shower."

"News?" Aidan frowns.

"Staff meeting, chop chop." I clap my hands and everyone gathers on the floor of Underworld. "Right, there is a fifty pound bonus for anyone who can guess why I've called you here today."

"Fifty?" Beth gasps.

"You're pregnant." Sean jokes, unaware that was actually the reason.

"Correct." I point at him and everyone freezes.

"Wait what?" Aidan places his hand on my shoulder.

"I could've guessed that if you'd given me time!" Beth argues sulkily. "I thought you were putting on weight."

"Cheers." I nod at her. "Yep, Sean your pay packet will be bursting this month."

"Oi." Kate prods me in the back. "You're pregnant?"

"Just to clarify, yes." I roll my eyes and her face breaks into a smile before she wraps me in a hug.

"That's great news!" Kate exclaims, kissing me on the cheek.

"How far gone are you?" Sinead asks, her eyes wide.

"Uh, four months." I tell them.

"And you've kept it secret from us all this time?" Sean gapes. "Oh well at least I got fifty quid out of it."

"You're not actually getting fifty quid." Aidan rolls his eyes.

"Yes you are." I cut him off. "Courtesy of me, I stick to my promises."

"So you're gonna have two small children running around at the same time?" Beth grimaces. "Rather you than me."

"Ok don't put her off before it's born." Izzy warns her. "We're really happy for you."

"Good, well if that's all." I grin, hanging off Aidan's shoulder. "I'll be on my way because we've got tonnes of people to tell."

"Uh, work?" He frowns.

"Uh, my factory." I raise my eyebrows, kissing him quickly on the cheek before exiting the factory.

"Ey!" Nick yells as he walks towards me, I stand with my hand on my hips on the steps of Underworld. "You told them then?"

"Done, finished, out of the way." I grin as he kisses me before lifting me down the steps.

"Who's next then?" He links his hand with mine, as I turn him around and head towards the Platt's house.

"Let's get this over with." I tell him, knocking briefly on the door before opening it. "Hi, it's only us."

"Are you drunk?" Nick whispers.

"Hopefully not." I reply, leading him into the living room.

"This is a nice surprise." Gail beams at us as Lily runs up to me, hugging me round be waist.

"Where Ella?" She asks Nick.

"She's with Michelle sweetheart." I ruffle her hair. "We just came to deliver some news."

"We know, you're pregnant." David cuts me off, I was shocked, everyone seemed to be guessing it.

"How do you know?" Nick frowns.

"Well, for starters you've been off the drink." David replies. "Both of you."

"And also we know you were trying for another anyway." Kylie points out.

"You came into the salon the other day and spent the whole time sat with your hand on your tummy." Audrey chips in.

"And you've put on weight." Gail concludes, not fussed by my put out expression.

"How come everyone keeps saying that?" I snap.

"Because you're pregnant?" Nick suggests, kissing me on the side of the head.

"Either way it's still fantastic!" Kylie claps her hands.

"Are we getting another cousin?" Lily asks excitedly.

"Yep." I pick her up, balancing her on my hip. "Is that good news?"

"Yeah!" She yells, giving me a high-five.

"Really happy for you both." Audrey beams. "Hey, you'll have a right little family won't you?"

"Can't wait." Nick smiles into my hair, wrapping his arms around my waist once I've put Lily down.

* * *

"Hi Cathy." I greet her as I enter Roy's Rolls with my husband. "Roy in?"

"Yeah, he's just upstairs." She smiles. "Are you ordering or do you just want a chat?"

"Wouldn't mind a brew if you've got one going." Nick tells her and she nods efficiently.

"I'll have a full English." I shrug. "And a cup of tea."

"Oh alright then, suppose I'll be paying." Nick nudges me.

"Stick it on his tab." I point at him and he laughs.

"Take a seat I'll bring it over." She indicates. "I'll go fetch Roy for you."

"What are you doing?" I ask Nick as he takes a seat opposite me.

"Taking a seat?" He frowns. "As directed."

"No you come sit by me." I pat the seat next to me.

"Why?" He questions.

"Because for one, we need to look like a loved up couple who are about to have another baby." I point out.

"Oh yeah we need to pretend about that ey?" He raises his eyebrows.

"And two..." I trail off slowly. "I'm cold."

"You want my jacket?" He sighs, coming to sit down next to me.

"No I want you." I lean my head against his shoulder as he wraps his arm around me.

"I was told, you asked after me?" Roy appears from the doorway to his flat.

"Sit down." I order and he sits opposite us obediently.

"Is the little one not with you today?" Roy asks, looking slightly disappointed at this.

"If you mean Ella, then no." Nick shakes his head.

"The other one however." I add and he looks confused.

"Other one?" He frowns. "I'm not sure I understand..."

"I'm pregnant again, Roy." I spell it out for him.

"Congratulations." He says promptly. "However I cannot say I am surprised."

"Ugh..." I scrunch my nose up, this news evidently hadn't surprised anyone. "Why?"

"Because I imagined you would have another." Roy informs us. "I saw you as a mother to more than one child."

"Ha..." I divert eye-contact briefly. "Only over the past year."

"No I always thought you would be an excellent mother." He says and the words hit me hard, bringing back his condolences after the miscarriage. The kind speech he offered me over the sound of crying babies. 'I think you would have made an excellent mother'. I never believed him then, now I did. Now I believed in myself. "You are an excellent mother. I've seen it first hand now, as has Nick and well, everyone else."

"...Thank you." I smile appreciatively, my eyes glistening over as I reach for Roy's hand. He looks awkward but accepts the embrace, looking back at me with honesty. I feel Nick's arm secure me, protect me, before he places a kiss into my hair and places his other hand onto my bump. His palm glides gently over the soft cotton that covers the skin, the skin that conceals our child. I see Roy notice and he looks content at this exchange, my happiness made him happy, which was something he rarely was since Hayley had died. That year, those few months broke us both; he lost the love of his life and I lost my husband and my daughter. The daughter I would never forget. We had both been broken, but finally, time was beginning to piece us back together.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

"Andy, table five are asking after you." I prompt him and he puts his phone down. "Unless you'd rather spend your time on Facebook."

"I wasn't on Facebook." He sighs. "I was texting Steph."

"Oh right and where is she?" I persist. "Is she going to be skipping into work anytime soon?"

"I don't know because she hasn't responded to me all night." He huffs.

"Had a row?" I question and he gives me a look before walking off with a tray of drinks. The Bistro door swings open as Alya and Eva walk in, taking a seat at the bar.

"I just can't believe they're doing this." Alya yells to her friend. It seemed nobody was in a good mood today. "I could kill for a red wine right now."

"Don't babes." Eva reassures her before turning to me. "Nick I'll have a red wine, she will have an orange juice."

"...Right." I nod, rather amused by Eva's sense of compassion. "Everything ok?"

"Fine." Alya snaps and I take the hint, going to pour their drinks. "How dare they just decide to put it on the market without asking me?"

"Well is it really a major problem?" Eva asks as I listen in to their conversation.

"Yes!" She exclaims. "Because it's the perfect set up; it's a few houses down from where I work! All my friends live around here."

"Drinks." I place them down subtly before pretending to scribble something down on a note pad. The Nazir's were selling their house? This could be the perfect opportunity...

* * *

"What's up with Andy?" Leanne asks me, putting down an empty tray on the stack and observing where he was stood hunched over his phone in the corner of the bar.

"Something to do with Steph." I shrug. "But he's no use to us like this."

"Send him home?" Leanne suggests.

"Reckon we can cope?" I ask her before I am summoned by Eva, bashing her credit card down on the bar.

"Oi sis, you keep an eye on her yeah?" She grabs Leanne's attention, pointing over to where Alya was sitting in a booth. "I'm off home."

"Can't you take her with you?" Leanne looks put out at the idea.

"Well I'm off on a date." Eva persists. "Plus she's adamant she wants to stay here."

"Ok, fine." She sighs. "...It's what Kal would have wanted."

"Thanks babes." Eva blows her a kiss before disappearing.

"Hey." I place a hand on Andy's shoulder. "Go home, go see Steph, sort whatever is happening out."

"Thanks." He smiles appreciatively. "You sure?"

"I wouldn't say it if I wasn't." I reply and he nods before grabbing his jacket and leaving.

"Glass of red." Alya appears at the bar and Leanne exchanges a look with me.

"You don't want a glass of red." She sighs.

"No, I don't actually." She responds. "I want the bottle."

"Lea, go deal with Robert I'll sort this." I suggest, seeing it was getting to her. She gives me a wary look before entering the kitchen.

"Well are you gonna serve me or shall I go elsewhere?" She snaps, waving a ten pound note in my face. "Just like your wife you, constantly bossing me around, telling me what I can and can't do."

"Well she's your boss." I point out. "It's in the job description."

"Yeah and it's in yours to serve the customer." Alya persists. "So serve me a bottle of wine."

"Ok." I nod. "I'll serve you a bottle of wine... After we have a chat."

"A chat?" She raises her eyebrows. "Do I even know you?"

"Sometimes it's easier talking to people you don't know." I shrug and she narrows her eyes, reluctantly putting the tenner back in her purse. "Good. Take a seat, I'll get you an orange juice, on the house."

" _Ooh_ , I am honoured." She rolls her eyes sarcastically but reluctantly goes back to sitting in the booth all he same.

* * *

"So, you're moving house." I place the drink down, jumping straight to the point.

"No. I'm not." She confirms. "They think they are."

"So you don't want to move house?" I gather.

"I can see how you're a successful businessman." She virtually spits. "You've got the brains..."

"What's so bad about moving?" I question and she takes a sip of her orange juice slowly.

"I like our house." She shrugs. "It's near work and everyone I love... Dad bought it. It's not theirs to sell."

"So that's the reason." I clarify and she nods slowly.

"They've put in an offer for a much bigger place." She sighs. "They said the profits from the gym and community centre would pay for it..." She looks at me, timidly. "I sound pathetic don't I?"

"No." I respond and she raises her eyebrows.

"...I don't care about the house." She finally admits. "But... He lived there with us. Every so often, I like to just sit there, like he did. If someone else buys it then I won't be able to visit. I won't be able to get that back. Nobody's going to buy it anyway, I hope they know that. So I'm probably worrying over nothing."

"Not necessarily..." I whisper and she raises her head slightly.

"What?" She frowns.

"...What if someone bought it and would let you visit?" I ask her, the idea swimming around in my mind. I had been thinking about this for a while now. Family home, with a garden, more than two bedrooms. Plus this was close to both me and Carla's businesses, it would be perfect.

"Like who?" She says after a silence.

"Like me." I confirm and her eyes widen. "We've got a new baby on the way now, we've got Ella to cater for as well. I meant to look at properties back when she was born but we were so busy. This would suit us perfectly. It would suit your grandparents and then you could come and visit anytime you like."

"Are you serious?" She asks and I nod.

"Yeah." I confirm. "Have a word with your grandparents, let me know any info. It sounds like the perfect opportunity for all of us."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

"Ey!" Aidan greets me.

"Quiet." I hold my finger up.

"Put a bit of weight on haven't you?" He teases and I glare at him. "Oh... Carla, you're not back on the burgers right? You were doing so well-"

"Shut it." I snap, flopping down at the desk and he backs away slightly.

"Ok, not the day." He holds his hands up. "Sorry."

"Ugh... It's ok." I shake my head, irritated at myself for getting wound up so easily. "I'm just shattered that's all."

"Difficult night?" He asks, concerned as he sits down opposite me.

"Could say that." I force a weak smile. "Ella was crying all night and hasn't stopped this morning. I have no idea why, I think she might have a fever. I'm going to take her to the doctors tomorrow I think."

"Oh that's not good." He bites his lip, he was awful at sympathy but I appreciated he was trying his best.

"Mm." I groan. "Plus I can't sleep now because of this bump getting in the way."

"Yeah but it's worth it." He points out.

"Course it's worth it." I sigh, rubbing my tummy.

"She started kicking yet?" He asks.

"She?" I raise my eyebrows.

"Just a feeling that's all." He shrugs.

"...No it hasn't yet." I tell him. "Ella started kicking around sixteen weeks, I'm past that now."

"How far gone are you?" He frowns.

"Around nineteen." I reply. "But I looked it up and movements can be as late as twenty four."

"Lazy child." He grins as I tilt my head back, closing my eyes briefly.

"Morning!" Alya calls as she enters the office.

"You do remember you don't still work in here right?" I ask.

"Yes of course." She nods obediently. "I was just wondering whether there was any news on the house?"

"...The house?" I frown.

"Yeah the sale..." She prompts and I look at Aidan for guidance.

"I don't think we have a client called 'house' Alya." I tell her, thinking that could be the only explanation.

"No!" She laughs. "Our house."

"In the middle of our street?" Aidan finishes the sentence and I exhale exasperatedly.

"...You don't know." She finally concludes and I narrow my eyes.

"Know what?" I question.

"Nothing." She covers abruptly before leaving the office. Aidan and I sit in silence for a few moments before he speaks.

"What was that about?" Aidan asks.

"I don't know..." I shake my head. "But whatever it is, I'm gonna get it out of her."

* * *

"I'm sure you do Mr Hanlen." Aidan sighs over the phone.

"Give it to me." I pester him, holding my arm out.

"That's a mistake on our end." He admits. "I do apologise."

"Oi!" I hiss. "Let me talk to him."

"Yep the deadline has not changed I can assure you that." He continues and I roll me eyes.

"Aidan!" I persist.

"And we will value that, thank you Mr Hanlen." He concludes. "Bye bye then."

"Hey!" I yell as soon as he has hung up. "I said I wanted to talk to him."

"What use would that have done ey?" He raises his eyebrows.

"Fancies me doesn't he?" I remind him.

"Fancies a pregnant woman with a husband and kid?" He laughs.

"I could've got us an extra week there." I ignore his snide comment.

"Oh dream on." He collapses in his seat, pouring himself a whiskey which I eye up enviously. "You found anything else out about this Alya thing?"

"No." I respond bluntly. "But I will now I'm peed off."

"Excellent." He folds his arms as if preparing for a movie. I lumber myself from my chair to standing, grabbing the door handle and swinging it open aggressively.

"Alya!" I yell across the factory floor, which shocks a few of the machinists. "In here please."

"Yes Mrs Tilsley." She appears instantly, hands clasped in front of her.

"I'd like to talk to you about earlier." I prompt and she looks at my shiftily.

"Earlier?" She questions, full of oblivious pretences.

"When you came in this morning." I jibe. "You said that I didn't know about something..."

"Oh that?" Her eyes widen. "That's nothing, I can assure you."

"I've seen the for sale sign outside your house." I persist. "When I went to Dev's earlier."

"She has these cravings for pickled onion Monster Munch." Aidan adds and I glare at him.

"Yummy..." Alya nods, forcing a smile.

"Why did you ask me if there was any news about it?" I question and she fidgets awkwardly. "Alya? You'll be moving jobs as well if you don't pipe up."

"Well I wasn't aware you didn't know but..." She trails off. "Well... Nick has put an offer in for our house."

"...He what?" I virtually spit and I see Aidan's large grin out of the corner of my eye. "Nick? As in my Nick?"

"No, Nick Jonas." Aidan teases. "Who do you think you daft cow?"

Any other time I would have happily mouthed off at him, but I had bigger priorities than sarcasm and name calling right now and that lay with my husband's betrayal.

* * *

"Ok, shh." I rock Ella gently, tears streaming down my face as well as hers. "It's ok baby I promise." I place a hand to her head and feel that she is still warm.

"I can hear her from downstairs." Nick opens to door to meet the scene before him.

"Oh well I am sorry to inconvenience you." I spit and he looks taken aback at my anger.

"Is she still crying?" He sighs.

"No." I respond sarcastically. "She's asleep couldn't you tell?"

"Ok, no need to be like that." He hushes me but it just angers me even more.

"You take her then." I pass her to him and he immediately takes over. "I've booked her an appointment with the paediatrician tomorrow."

"Why?" He frowns.

"Because she's not well Nick!" I yell. "Why do you think?"

"Calm down." He soothes. "Go and have a rest."

"I don't want a rest." I snap. "We need to talk."

"I don't think now is an appropriate time for a talk." He replies.

"Oh right ok." I nod. "So when did you think was an appropriate time to put an offer in on a house without asking me?"

"...Oh." He responds, bluntly, freezing in position with only Ella's crying to break the silence.

"Oh?" I repeat. "Is that all you can say."

"Look Carla..." He sighs. "I was going to talk to you about it-"

"Oh right." I spit. "When exactly?"

"I don't know..." He trails off. "I wanted it to be a nice surprise."

"Well what about if I don't want to move?" I ask and he stays in silence for a few seconds.

"You know we can't stay here." He finally admits. "We need space, more bedrooms, a garden."

"This place has suited us perfectly fine." I yell. "And even if it didn't, we are supposed to talk about these things, not go making major decisions behind each other's back's."

"We don't have to buy it." He tries to negotiate.

"Ah you know what?" I sigh, heading into the bedroom. "I need to get out of here for a bit."

"Ey?" Nick calls as I stuff things into a bag. "Hold on, what are you doing?"

"Going to stay with Chelle." I inform him.

"What? Because of a stupid house?" He raises his voice slightly. "Don't you think you're over exaggerating slightly? We can talk about this."

"I just need some space." I calm slightly, meeting his eyes before picking up the bag and heading towards the front door. "Ok? I just need to get away for a few days Nick, I'm sorry."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17:**

"Sleep well?" Michelle's voice makes me jump ever so slightly and I turn to look at her. She was laying on the other side of her double bed, staring at me intently.

"Yeah thanks." I yawn. I had said very little when I arrived last night and she knew not to pester me when I was in that state. So instead she had allowed me to go straight to bed; her and Steve's bed, as she wouldn't let me sleep on the sofa. I had shared it with her and he had been stuck with the settee, which I would feel bad about if I had the energy to care.

"Good." She takes a strand of my hair between her fingers. "Because you're gonna tell me exactly what's going on."

* * *

I wake to the sound of silence; Ella wasn't crying, it had taken me hours to get her off last night. But I still feel empty in the bed alone. Carla wasn't there to put my arms around, to keep the bed warm. I had messed up, when everything had been perfect, I had pushed it too far.

Despite everything, I had this doctors appointment this morning and it appeared to be obvious that I had been lumbered with the job. I had plans in my mind to go and visit Carla afterwards, see what was going on, but she had said she needed space. She was hard to figure out because she either wanted me to make the first move, or she wanted me to listen to her and let her go. It wasn't an easy situation either way.

"Morning sweetheart." I rub my eyes as I enter the nursery. Ella was sat down in her cot, chewing on one of her teddy bears. I reach over the bars and pick her up, balancing her on my hip and carrying her into the kitchen.

"Bottle." Ella requests promptly, knowing that was the way I was heading. I heat it up whilst bouncing her slightly to keep her entertained.

"You feeling any better this morning?" I ask but she doesn't answer. She was beginning to pick up on things we were saying and would often answer yes or no to them. I feel her head and notice that her temperature has fallen from what it was yesterday. Hopefully it had just been a virus that was passing, but I was going to go and check to be on the safe side.

* * *

"Tea." Michelle places it down in front of me as I sit at the table with my head in my hands. "So come on then, what's happened?" I watch as she sits down opposite me, folding her arms. It was something she always did since we were teenagers. Whenever I had a fight with one of my boyfriends she would sit me down and stare at me intently. "You had a row?"

"Kind of." I shrug and she exhales sharply.

"Car, I'm not a mind reader." She sighs. "You're gonna have to speak to me."

"I was just really stressed out yesterday." I admit. "That's all."

"Then why don't I believe you?" She asks. "Come on Carla, you and Nick are love's young dream-"

"Young?" I raise my eyebrows.

"Love's... _Middle aged_ dream." She corrects herself, going steady on the wording. "Anyway what I'm trying to say is, everything up until now has seemed perfect between you."

"Yeah too perfect." I reply and she looks confused. "That's why I needed some space. I just need some distance for a few days. Ella's been crying all the time, she's poorly I think. I'm stressed out because of this baby and Nick went and put an offer down on the Nazir's house without asking me."

"The Nazir's house?" She repeats. "You're moving?"

"Apparently so!" I snap exasperatedly which leaves a long silence between us.

"Well... I'm sure he was just trying to do something nice." She negotiates. "Maybe you could do with a proper house, rather than lugging that pushchair up and down the stairs of Victoria Court."

"Yes but he did it behind my back." I object. "...Even Frank didn't do that when we were looking at houses."

"Woah, you're seriously comparing Nick to Frank?" She inquires, seriousness in her tone and I immediately feel foolish.

"No." I shake my head, groaning slightly at my stupidity. "No of course I'm not. Frank was nothing, Nick is everything. They're polar opposites aren't they?"

"Exactly." Michelle takes my hand in hers. "Nick is completely and utterly devoted to you Carla. No offence but... That's something no man has ever given to you. I see the way you look at each other. That is love."

"I know it is." I protest. "I'm not arguing with that. What I'm saying Chelle, is that I just need some space... To think."

"About?" She persists.

"About the baby and the house and my daughter." I conclude. "Not us. Never us. We're fine, I promise."

* * *

"I take it you won't be venturing into work today then?" Michelle asks as she enters the living room. I was slumped on the sofa flicking through the television channels and just shrug dismissively. "Well if you get bored you could always help me with the bar."

"Ha..." I raise my eyebrows at her. "Imagine? All my workers coming in on their lunch break and seeing boss lady pulling their pints?"

"Ok..." She trails off. "Well I'll be out there if you want me."

"Mm." I mumble and she rolls her eyes before walking off. I wait till she is gone before rubbing my tummy, yearning for it to move the slightest bit, just so I wasn't alone. This was going to be a lazy baby.

"Alright?" Steve grumbles, entering the living room and heading for the biscuit tin that was on the table.

"Thought you slept on the sofa?" I mutter, not removing my eyes from Jeremy Kyle.

"I did." He responds. "The upstairs sofa."

"Oh." I nod. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Not a problem." He shrugs, munching on a chocolate digestive. "As long as you kept your hands to yourself when sleeping with my wife."

"Na, she was all over me." I force a laugh.

"...Don't tell Chelle I'm eating chocolate digestives." He says, taking another one out of the tin.

"I won't if you give me one." I reply as he offers me them and we sit in awkward silence for a few minutes, watching the TV.

"My husband slept with his brother and I'm pregnant with my dealers baby." Steve reads the caption from Jeremy Kyle unenthusiastically.

"Almost got as much baggage as us ey?" I reply and he laughs slightly.

"Like a good wedding us, don't we?" Steve inserts and I hum slightly before we return to silence.

"How many times have you been married?" I pipe up.

"Eight times, five brides." He coughs, as if proud of it. "You?"

"Five engagements, four husbands." I grimace and he high fives me.

"See we could go on this show." He points out and I nod.

"I think the caption might be a bit long..." I muster. "...Is Chelle the last one though?"

"Ey?" He frowns.

"You said there's been five wives." I say, fiddling with my bracelet. "Is Chelle the final one."

"Yeah suppose so." He shrugs. "What about Nick?"

"Yeah." I smile down into my lap, my eyes moving to my wedding ring. "Yeah this ring may as well be tattooed on."

* * *

"I'd say she's been suffering from a mild infection." The paediatrician smiles at me. "It can be common as we draw into the winter months. Plus, she's in stage four of teething which can be an uncomfortable period for the child, which therefore could possibly be the reason for her temperature and tantrums."

"Ok." I nod, strapping her back into the pushchair. "So is there anything I can do?"

"Calpol, would be my top suggestion." He replies. "It'll numb the pain, best medicine to use on children her age."

"Yeah I think we have some at home." I smile. "I'll give her a dosage when we get back."

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." He assures me. "However if she's the same next week, bring her back and I'll see how she's doing."

"Ok, will do." I begin to wheel the pushchair out of the room. "Thank you."

"No problem." He opens to door for me to leave and I head out through the waiting room.

"See, there you go." I talk to Ella as she kicks her legs excitedly. "Nothing to worry about. You had me frightened last night." I pull my phone out and send a quick text.

 _Compose new message:_

 _Carla Mobile:_

 _Ella fine, doctor says everything is ok. Hopefully see you soon, hope you are resting up. Love you. Xx_

"Choc!" Ella points to the corner shop as soon as we get outside.

"Ok then." I sigh reluctantly. "But don't tell mummy."

* * *

"You gonna get that?" Michelle asks as my phone beeps. She's been watching me flick through a magazine for about ten minutes and it was seriously getting to me now. I huff as I pull it out of my bag, my eyes adjusting to the screen as I unlock it.

 _New message:_

 _Nicky Mobile:_

 _Ella fine, doctor says everything is ok. Hopefully see you soon, hope you are resting up. Love you. Xx_

"It's Nick." I tell her, warmed slightly by his words. 'Love you'. Of course he loved me. Why was I being so stupid about this? "Ella is ok."

"Good." She snatches it off me suddenly to read my message.

"Oi!" I snap as she passes it back.

"Well it looks like you're being the cow in this situation." She raises her eyebrows.

"I am a cow." I confirm.

"Well if you ever want to swap husbands let me know." She shrugs.

"...I'm alright thanks." I drone and she nods.

"...So are you gonna talk to him?" She asks after a silence and I give her a look.

"Yes!" I reply exasperatedly. "But I will decide to, when I am ready ok?"

"Ok." She holds her hands up, still staring at me as I go back to reading the magazine.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**

"You spoken to Nick?" Michelle storms into the living room, searching avidly for something.

"Yeah." I reply. "Exchanged a few texts."

"That it?" She frowns, stopping what she was doing to observe me. "You know when Steve bought the pub without asking me, I was mad. But it didn't take me three days to sulk about it. As much as I love you Carla, you can't stay here forever."

"And I won't." I object, grabbing my bag. "I'm off to work anyway, see you later."

"Oh good." She rolls her eyes and I huff at her response before leaving. The cold October air hits me as I step out onto the cobbles. I lean up against the front of the Rovers, watching as Nick enters the Bistro. He looked lost, empty. What was I doing?

* * *

I push the front door of the pub open and come to face Michelle instantly, who was stood behind the bar.

"Oh hello Nick." Michelle greets me sarcastically. "Nice of you to show your face."

"Sorry..." I trail off. "Can I-"

"Yep and sort it out." She sighs, indicating to the back room as I make my way behind the bar. "She misses you like hell you know?"

"I don't think she will admit to that." I force a smile before leaving her and heading into the back room. Carla was sat on the sofa, nursing a cup of tea on her stomach. She looks up instantly when I enter and we both exchange silent eye contact for a few seconds. "Hello."

"Hi." She replies, her eyes searching my face to work out my mood. "Where's Ella?"

"With Roy." I tell her and she nods slowly.

"We need to talk." She forces a smile but I can see the weakness behind it. I would give anything to hold her right now. Our distance was killing me, I wasn't used to being this far from her emotionally and physically.

"Can I sit down?" I ask and she laughs slightly, nodding as I sit down next to her. We sit in silence for a while, trying to muster some words to say to one another. "I'll start then... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made decisions like that behind your back or pushed you into anything."

"You didn't." She mumbles, looking up at me. "It was a lovely gesture... I over exaggerated as ever... Sorry."

"Ok... So we're both sorry." I confirm and she smiles. "So what happens now?"

"We talk." She replies. That didn't sound good...

"I thought we already were." I shrug. "Is there something I don't know about?"

"Ella wasn't well and I was tired." She explains. "It was just a bombshell that dropped on me at the wrong time."

"Look, baby." I sigh, hesitating before taking her hand in mine. "We don't have to move. I put in an offer, I just wanted to secure one before I told you. We can move anywhere you like. I just don't think the flat is an appropriate place to bring up two children."

"Yeah neither do I." She admits. "I want to move. This would be the perfect opportunity."

"Ey?" I frown, confused at her sudden change of heart. "But... I thought the reason this all happened was because you didn't want to move?"

"Nicholas, listen to me." She nudges me playfully. "I was shattered. I just needed to get away, I needed some time to think. Now that I've had... Space, I've managed to sort my head out."

"So, you do want to move?" I clarify.

"Yes." She nods confidently before smiling. "A proper family home, with a garden and bedrooms and toys scattered all over the floor. A washing line, a sand pit, climbing frame. Stairs that the kids can slide down. Bedrooms that they can hide away in when they reach the teenage years. A doorway which we can watch them head off to school from, waving them off-"

"What has happened to you?" I laugh and she bites her lip, her eyes glistening slightly.

"I want all of that." She confirms hesitating before brushing her lips against mine. "I do."

"I do." I chuckle into her skin. "Getting married again are we?"

"Nick." She sighs before I put my hand on her tummy, which makes her jump suddenly.

"What?" I panic, taking it off.

"No do that again." She says, grabbing my hand and placing it back to where it was. I feel it instantly and it brings everything back. The slight movements of our baby, it was there, it was real, it was ok.

"Is that the first time?" My eyes light up and to my surprise she bursts into tears. "Hey, Carla?" I whisper, placing a finger under her chin and lifting her head to face me.

"It wasn't moving." She finally mumbles.

"What do you mean?" I frown.

"I thought something was wrong but I didn't want to say..." She trails off. "Because it still wasn't moving."

"Well that's natural." I sigh, finally understanding part of the reason as to why she had been so upset.

"I know that now." She forces a laugh and my face softens. "I was just so worried."

"Oh sweetheart." I close my eyes, placing my lips against her forehead and breathing into her skin. "You don't have to be worried, I'm here, it's ok."

* * *

"Did you think I was a cow?" She asks, childishly as she lies with her head in my chest on our sofa.

"No." I say, stroking her hair back softly as she closes her eyes. "I thought I'd pushed you too far."

"You know what I'm like." She sighs. "I bottle everything up, pretend to be strong. If there's added stress I'll just crumble."

"I know." I reply. "You don't admit that to many people."

"Only you." She responds. "And I suppose Chelle knows too. That's it."

"Well you don't have to." I massage her scalp gently. "Because you can tell me anything, you don't have to keep it locked inside... Which sounds hypocritical after the whole house situation."

"No more secrets?" She whispers, holding out her little finger as I lock mine with hers.

"No more secrets." I confirm and she smiles contently before I place my hand on her tummy as the baby begins to move again.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19:**

"Mummy's up!" Nick exclaims as I walk out into the living room, leaning up against the door frame as he dances around with Ella in his arms. "Say morning mummy."

"Mummy." She waves at me and I smile, waving back. "Dog." She holds out her purple dog teddy excitedly.

"You and your animals ey?" I go over and kiss her on the top of the head, before moving to Nick and placing one on his lips. "Mm..." I mumble placing a hand on my bump. "I need crackers."

"Bottom cupboard." He indicates and I head over. "Feeling sick?"

"No just a bit yukky." I bite the corner off one, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Right, you sit down there." He places her down on her baby mat. "Mummy needs her tummy rubbing."

"Daddy needs a medal." I smile as he comes and wraps his arms around my waist from behind, rubbing my stomach gently. Ella looks up at us, slightly dazed at our union.

"Dog." She holds up her teddy again and I nod at her before leaning my head back into Nick's chest.

"I have something to ask you." I mumble, closing my eyes.

"Uh oh." He calls to Ella who giggles. "What've we done now Ell?"

"No." I whine slightly, turning to face him. "I was thinking maybe we could have a Halloween party?"

"A party?" He frowns, kissing my forehead. "What do you mean?"

"Well it's usually a gathering you throw for a special occasion." I roll my eyes. "There's food and music and people-"

"Yes I know what it is." He nudges me. "But are you sure you're up for it?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't." I point out.

"Here?" He checks and I nod. "Is there room?"

"Think of it as a leaving party." I smile.

" _If_ we leave." He corrects me.

" _When_ we leave." I persist, we were awaiting a call from the estate agent to tell us if our offer had gone through. If it did, the Nazir's said we could move in as soon as possible as they had already transferred to their new property. Therefore, we would be moved in and roughly settled before the birth.

"Don't get your hopes up." He taps me on the nose.

"Can we have a Halloween party?" I beg him. "Please Nicky? I'll be extra good."

"I don't think that's the way Halloween goes." He whispers. "But alright, if you insist."

* * *

"What are you going to dress up as ey?" I pick Ella up, flying her round the room.

"Careful." Nick prompts from the dining table where he was sorting through paperwork. "No vigorous movement."

"Spoilsport." I stick my tongue out at him, sitting Ella down on my lap on the sofa, which was beginning to get difficult because of my bump. "Are you going to say hello to your baby brother or sister?" I ask her as she puts her hand down on my tummy, staring at me intently. "Say hello."

"Heyyo." She pats my tummy lightly.

"Sleeping." I open my mouth at her as she continues to trace her tiny fingers around my tummy.

"Big." She says and Nick laughs from the table.

"Charming." I smile as the baby starts to kick. "Ah, can you feel that?" I ask her, she looks shocked, staring at my tummy as if it was some sort of machine.

"Big." She repeats.

"At least it's not fat." I shrug.

"Ella, say fat." Nick calls over to us and I glare at him. "Fat."

"Nick!" I whine and he laughs. "Meanie."

"Big, big." She continues to prod my tummy as the baby kicks.

"Ok calm down now." I warn her.

"Ella, gentle please." Nick scolds before coming over and pulling her away from where she was terrorising her sibling. "No play fighting before it's born."

"I know what you could dress up as Ella!" I exclaim, holding up a picture in the magazine. "A pumpkin!"

"I think you'll have to be the pumpkin." Nick teases. "Put you in an orange top and sorted."

"Haha..." I roll my eyes at him. "You'll be going as a corpse at this rate and you won't even need to dress up."

* * *

"Yeah kids and all." I babble on to Michelle down the phone. "So hey you can bring Steve."

"Hilarious." She drones and I laugh before there's a beep from an incoming call.

"Ah, Chelle there's another caller on the line." I sigh. "I'm gonna have to go."

"Ok babe, see you soon." She says before hanging up and I switch to the opposing line.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Hello this is Jane from Weatherfield Estate Agent's." A woman replies and a lump forms in my throat. "Is Mr Tilsley there please?"

"He's out at the moment but this is his wife." I respond and there's a short pause.

"Ok well I suppose I'll pass the information onto you then." She says cheerily. "I just wanted to inform you that your offer for number six Coronation Street has been accepted."

"Accepted?" I stutter slightly. "So that's good right?"

"We'll have to confirm further details with your husband but I'm pleased to tell you that you got the mortgage." She tells me and I freeze slightly.

"...Thank you!" I finally exclaim as I hear the key in the lock. "Thank you very much, bye."

"Who was that?" Nick asks, absent-mindlessly, putting the bag of shopping down on the kitchen surface.

"Estate agent." I respond, still in shock myself and he turns to look at me.

"And..." He studies me carefully before my face breaks into a smile.

"We got the house!" I virtually scream and his mouth falls open as I run to hug him. He spins me round as best as he can with my bump before placing me back down and kissing my forehead multiple times. "I was gonna do the whole bluff technique like you did with me and the pregnancy test, but I'm not that mean."

"We're moving?" He confirms, studying me intently.

"Mhmm." I nod and he places a hand on my tummy wrapping me back into a warm hug.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20:**

"Hi, you supposed to be in today?" Aidan greets me as I enter the office. I was now working three days a week because of Ella and the pregnancy. It was a tough decision to be made but it had to be done.

"Just came to get the Jenkins file." I hold it up. "And to invite you to this party later."

"Oh finally!" He replies. "Nice to know we were high on the priorities list."

"Aidan baby, you're never high on the priorities list." I grin. "But I thought you'd be missed, so hey bring Eva along."

"And what if I have other plans?" He raises his eyebrows.

"Cancel them." I shrug, before giving him a quick wave and walking out onto the shop floor. "Right! Who's coming tonight?" I address the employees as Sean, Beth, Kirk, Kate, Fiz and Sally raise their hands. "Well you can all have an early dart. Finish at two and go get ready, deal?"

"Yes Mrs T." Sean salutes me and I nod before leaving.

* * *

"Raaa!" I tickle Ella's tummy after changing her nappy and pick her up to balance her on my hip. "Is daddy doing a good job with the decorations?"

"He'd better be." Nick replies from the top of the step ladder. I didn't know what had gotten into me, but for some reason I wanted to decorate the flat and throw a party. We had decided between us that it was a leaving party, as we were moving next week and so all our boxes had been crammed in Ella's bedroom for tonight.

"Shall we go and make some food?" I ask Ella, carrying her over to the kitchen and sitting her down in her high chair. "Carrot stick." I offer her and she accepts it gratefully, gnawing down on it.

"The vegetables are already chopped up." Nick informs me, coming down from the ladder after stringing up some lights. "Butties need doing."

"Flat looks good darling." I compliment his work as he comes over to me, slipping his arms around my waist so they fit round my bump. He continues to hold me as I butter the bread, passing bits and pieces to Ella to nibble on as I do so.

"Cayyot." She points to the carrots, holding her hand out for one.

"Healthy." I tell her, passing her another one.

"Cayyot." She attempts again, putting it in her mouth.

"Carrot." Nick corrects her.

"Cayyot." She repeats and I laugh.

"Smart kid for her age." I say. "Don't know where she got that from."

"Me." Nick replies bluntly and I slap him lightly on the arm as he buries kisses into my hair. "Mm love you."

"Good." I respond and he chuckles. "Have you finished with the decorations or are you gonna stay there all day."

"Option two." He mumbles and I smile.

"You know there's pumpkins that need carving." I persist. "Ella do you want to carve pumpkins with daddy?"

"Daddy." She holds out her arms and he releases himself from our embrace, going to pick Ella up out of her high chair.

"Right." He sits her down on the dining table. "No knives for you."

"We need to remember to blow them out tonight." I stress and he smiles at me warmly, knowing exactly what I was referring to.

"Don't worry, I'll remember." He tells me. "Promise."

* * *

"Hey!" I greet Michelle as she enters in a super woman costume. Steve was dressed as some other sort of super hero, his beer gut creeping over the edge of his... Leggings. Wow they were an odd couple. How did he pull her again? Rather her than me...

"Hiya." She kisses me on the cheek. "This is all very fancy. Then again why wouldn't it be?"

"Mimi!" Ella runs towards her as Michelle squats down to greet her.

"Hello sweetheart." She smiles, admiring her costume. I had dressed her up as a doll, with her hair tied in pigtails and a blue checked dress. "Don't you look good? A very scary dolly."

"Rae." She holds out the doll in her hand. "Rae doll."

"Rae? That's a pretty name." Michelle talks to her. I move away from them and go over to get more crisps out of the cupboard as Sally appeared to have eaten them all.

Ok don't bend down again.

"Nick?" I call and he turns from where he was talking to Andy and Tyrone, coming over to me. "Can you get the crisps from that cupboard?"

"You alright?" He asks me and I nod. "Sure?"

"Yeah I'm fine." I reply, taking them off him.

"Ok." He kisses me quickly before walking off again.

"Sal, would you like some more of those?" I go over to her, pouring the crisps into a bowl.

"Some more wine would be nice." She holds out her glass and I pull a face once I know she's slightly tipsy.

"...K." I mutter, reluctantly cracking open another bottle of wine, which killed me enough without having to pour it into her glass.

"Good party." She slurs.

"Mm..." I respond. "Where's Timmy dearest tonight?"

"Oh he's at the pub." She shrugs. "He told me 'Sally, anything would be more interesting than the Tilsley's Halloween party' so I let him go."

"...That was generous of you." I roll my eyes, trying not to be offended by her comment.

"Can I have some more orange squash please?" Hope asks me and I smile as I pour it into her plastic cup.

"I love your costume." I tell her and she grins.

"I chose it all by myself." She responds. "Are you having another baby?"

"Yep, isn't the tummy a give away?" I pat my stomach lightly.

"Didn't want to say anything." She shrugs. "Just in case. You're really pretty by the way."

"Aw thank you." I beam down at her before she runs off to play with Ruby.

"See Sal, that's a seven year old." I point her out and Sally looks at me, confused. "She still manages to act mature and graceful. Take notes."

* * *

"Ey!" Aidan sneaks up behind me, making me jump.

"Oh so you did decide to show your face then?" I ask, nibbling on a breadstick as Eva drapes herself over his shoulders. He had a wig on his head, dark lipstick on and was dressed all in black. Whatever he had come as, he looked horrendous. "What are you dressed as?"

"Legally blonde." Eva informs me.

"Very Halloween-ey." I indicate to her skirt length and she grins. "Come on, knock me out then Aidan. Who are you?"

"You." He responds.

"Ey?" I frown.

"You told me to dress up as something scary or disgusting." He continues. "So I dressed up as you."

"...Full of surprises you." I narrow my eyes at him.

"I know, what can I say? I'm perfect, at everything." He scoffs, vainly.

"Um... That little quickie before we came out wasn't exactly 'perfect'." Eva reminds him.

"Are you still going on about that?" He argues.

"I'm out." I hold my hands up, walking off after taking another breadstick before doing so. "Don't need anything else to make me hurl."

* * *

"Carla?" I feel a finger tap me on the back and turn to see Fiz. "I just wanted to say, you've done a brilliant job with Ella. She's a lovely little girl. I'm sure you'll do just as well with this next one."

"Ah, thank you." I smile appreciatively. That was now her and her daughter who had offered me lovely compliments this evening.

"Uh, attention please." I hear Nick's voice as he taps on his glass of non-alcoholic champagne. I turn to look at him and he beckons me over. Oh God, what was he going to do now? "Little bit of hush."

"You ok?" I ask under my breath once I reach him and he puts his arm around me, guests staring at us intently.

"I just wanted to quickly say how glad we are that you could all make it tonight." He recites. "As you know, Carla, Ella and I are moving next week and so it was Carla's idea to have a leaving party. This flat used to be Carla's, I remember being invited round to fix her laptop, which I wasn't very good at..."

"That's true." I nod and there's a laugh from the crowd of people. My eyes move to Ella who is being hugged by Lily, smiling up at us.

"It turned into a deep conversation, with many others to follow and then... Before we knew it I was here." Nick shrugs before kissing me on the forehead. "I couldn't be happier than I am today, so I'm quite pleased that I... Messed up your laptop so badly... But on that note I just wanted to say to everyone, thank you for all your support over the years. We have some amazing friends, family. I have a beautiful daughter, another baby on the way and most importantly the woman who made that all happen, my wife. So I love you Carla."

"Ahh..." Voices escape from the crowd as he kisses me, placing a hand softly on my tummy as Ella runs forward grabbing Nick's leg. We break off and he lifts her up into his arms as I rest my head on his shoulder.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21:**

"We need to talk." I smack my hands together as I come out of the bathroom after finishing my make-up.

"Oh God..." Nick pulls a face from the breakfast table.

"I want to keep it a surprise." I tell him and he frowns.

"Keep what a what?" He responds, crunching on a piece of toast loudly.

"The baby." I put my hand on my bump. "I don't want to find out the sex today."

"Ok." He nods.

"Ok?" I repeat. "Is that it?"

"What do you want me to say?" He laughs, which irritates me. "I'm happy if you are."

"Ugh..." I roll my eyes, feeling sick again.

"What's the matter ey?" He stands up, coming over and massaging my shoulders.

"Sorry." I close my eyes, indulging in the way his fingers were working against my skin. "I'm just stressed out. Scan today, moving on Thursday. Been sick twice this morning. Sorry."

"Don't apologise." He kisses me on the side of the head. "You're allowed to be a cow when you're pregnant."

"Oh cheers." I sigh, smiling slightly. "Light of my life aren't you?"

* * *

"I see here that you have requested for a home birth." The midwife checks her notes .

"Yeah, if we can." I reply before looking at Nick. "You're ok with that yeah?"

"As long as it's safe." He responds.

"The way they work is that it'll be the same as in a hospital except in the comfort of your own home." She explains. "You'll have a midwife round to escort you with the birth. On the basis that your first pregnancy was consistent and so far you've had no complications in this one, I'd say that we would be happy to go ahead with it."

"That's good news." Nick squeezes my hand and I nod.

"You encountered some Braxton hicks during your first pregnancy." She scans the records. "Any symptoms of that so far this time round?"

"There's been the odd twinge but nothing serious." I tell her. "Like when I bend down and things. Happened the other night actually."

"That's perfectly normal." She smiles. "It's not unlikely to experience cramping. I would say for your own comfort, now you've experienced it, that if it occurs again, do whatever you can to dull the pain at home. It will only stress you out to come to the hospital and there's very little we can do."

"How do I know it's not labour?" I bite my lip.

"Well it could very well be early labour." She says. "It's common for it to start earlier during second pregnancies. I would say that if it continues for over a few hours, that would be the time to contact the midwife. There's lots of ways you can deal with Braxton hicks, such as massages or have a bath, sit on your birthing ball if you have one. I've got a leaflet here if you want it on ways to relax."

"Yeah she needs that." Nick nudges me as I take it from her.

"Ok, I'm going to start the ultra sound if that's ok?" She asks and I nod as she spreads the gel on my stomach. I flick through the leaflet briefly before the sound of our baby's heartbeat could be heard.

"That's always a good sign." I smile and Nick squeezes my hand again.

"Here you go." She tilts the screen to face us and it brings back all the memories from when we had seen Ella at this stage. The first scan was amazing, but you could hardly make it out, whereas this time round, it looked like our baby.

"Beautiful." Nick lifts up my hand and kisses it before wiping a tear from my cheek.

"Do you want to know the sex?" She asks suddenly and my heart stops in my chest.

"No..." I trail off and Nick raises his eyebrows at me. "Do you?"

"Nope, I'm staying strong." He laughs and I give him a look.

"Ugh..." I moan, covering my face with my other hand. "But... Shopping."

" _Shopping_." He imitates me. "This was your idea!"

"Ok." I sigh. "Ok, no, surprise... No... Yes surprise."

"Well you can call us anytime if you change your mind." She smiles at us and I nod, looking up at Nick before he kisses me on the forehead.

* * *

"So that's that out of the way." I sigh as Nick puts the keys down on the kitchen surface after we enter the flat. "Happy and healthy, that's all I need."

"We have stuff to pack up." Nick diverts the subject. Most of our things were packed in boxes and scattered around the room ready to transport up the road now, but there were still elements of furniture that needed sorting.

"We still have a sofa." I point to it. "Ella won't be back for a few hours."

"...I'm not really in the mood after seeing our baby growing inside of you." Nick pulls a face.

"I didn't mean that!" I object. "I meant we could cuddle up and watch a film or something."

"Oh ok." He nods sarcastically before going to sit down on the sofa. I hesitate, lingering by the door still and he looks at me. "Well come here then."

"What do you think it is?" I ask, going over and sitting next to him, I lay my head in his chest and tuck my legs up so they are spread across the sofa as he wraps an arm around my frame, placing his other hand on my tummy.

"I don't know." He laughs.

"No!" I retort. "You have to guess."

"Well since it hasn't moved around as much, I'll say it's lazy like you." He nudges me. "Girl."

"Uh, girl's aren't all lazy, you're stereotyping..." I begin. "Wait I'm not lazy either."

"I'm teasing." He chuckles, kissing my skin gently and we sit in silence for a while.

"...Labour hurts." Is what I suddenly come out with but he doesn't move from our position.

"But look what you got out of it." He reassures me. "You were amazing last time, I was in awe of your strength in that delivery room. You'll do that again."

"Remember when they passed us Ella for the first time?" I reconcile. "We saw her face, her little fingers... Heard her cry. I knew I'd done it. I knew I was a mother... That's the most amazing feeling in the world. The greatest achievement."

"I couldn't be more proud of you." I whisper. "That sounds patronising but... You've just proved everyone who doubted you wrong Carla. You've shown them that you can be the best mother in the world and you'll continue to be, to both our children."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22:**

"Ok so how are we gonna do this?" David enters the flat, accompanied by Andy and Aidan.

"Well we pick a box up and move it." Aidan rolls his eyes.

"What just like that?" David frowns. "We're gonna be carrying full blown sofa's down the street? I want a tenner instead then."

"Fine whatever." Nick shrugs and I glare at him. "But get a shift on then."

"Nick, don't be so rude." I sigh, sitting Ella in her high chair so that she didn't go walk-about. "They've come here to help."

"Right, Aidan and Andy there's boxes in the bedroom if you can help with them." He indicates before turning to me. "You don't move anything, got it?"

"Yes boss." I smirk and he pats my tummy lightly. "Chill day for me then."

"Uh, you're making me a brew." David winks. "Don't think you're getting off that easily."

"Trust me David." I warn him. "I'm not getting off easy."

"Yeah, she's right, I'd rather be shifting a few boxes than be going through that again." Kylie appears in the doorway and I smile at her. "I'll make the tea, get to work you." She slaps David lightly on the arm and he picks up a box before carrying it out of the door.

* * *

I munch on a cracker whilst wrapping bubble wrap around the China and placing it in cardboard boxes.

"Hey." Nick slaps my bum as he walks past to unplug the kettle. "You alright?"

"Yeah..." I trail off, not wanting to admit that actually this was hitting me harder than I thought it would. But he knew it, he just wasn't going to make me crack until the last minute. Instead he kisses me on the side of the head and carries the kettle off out of the door.

"Doodles." Ella begs me, banging her fist down on the tray of her high chair.

"Doodles is packed Ell." I tell her, referring to one of her teddies. "You can have her when we get to the house."

"Doodles." She whimpers and I sigh, going over to pick her up, which was beginning to prove a task now with my bump.

"It's alright." I kiss the top of her head, rocking her gently more for my benefit than hers. I needed a hug, I needed some comfort. She latches onto my hair, putting a strand in her mouth which doesn't bother me.

"Mummy." She says, reaching up and stroking my cheek with her hand, her big green eyes staring at me intently.

"Mummy loves you." I whisper, wiping a tear from my cheek as it escapes. I blame my hormones for this weakness. "Just don't tell anyone that I'm crying. It's ok."

* * *

"Are you aware that you have four suitcases filled with clothes?" Aidan groans as he hauls another one out of he bedroom.

"I wasn't until I packed them." I reply and he stops, looking at me before leaning it against the wall.

"Come here." He holds his arms out and I frown for a second before giving in and walking towards him. He wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head. This was weird, Aidan never showed me any kind of affection and here we were embracing in my living room. Old living room...

"I'm stupid." I mumble as he sways us slightly.

"Sometimes yeah." He whispers and a laugh escapes my lips. "But I'll let you off this time."

"I'll hold you to that." I murmur before pulling away. "Now get back to work, you slacker."

* * *

"That it?" David sighs as Kylie drapes her arm around him, scanning the empty flat.

"Looks it." Nick shrugs as I lean up against the kitchen surface, the smooth granite cooling my palms. He turns to look at me for a few seconds and I force a smile. "Hey, Aidan would you mind taking Ella over to the house for a few minutes?"

"Uh yeah." He nods, attempting to work out how to push the pram.

"Oh I'll do it." Kylie takes it from him. "She can come to ours for a bit."

"Tenner?" David asks and Nick rolls his eyes before going over and placing a note in his hand. "Ta."

"Thank you." Nick smiles appreciatively as they leave. Aidan shuts the door behind them and we're left alone in the empty flat.

"...Looks bigger." I manage to say and he paces the room, running his hand along the wall. "You know the other day? You said about fixing my laptop..."

"Seems like yesterday." He looks down at the floor. "That was the first time I visited this flat... I was trying to pull you."

"I know you were." I laugh slightly and there's a silence. "Worked though didn't it?"

"Well the laptop didn't..." He jokes. "Sorry, way to kill a moment."

"Then you came back... That night when we just sat and talked about relationships... About life." I reminisce. "Completely oblivious weren't we? You covered me with a blanket and said goodnight."

"You were drooling on a cushion." He points out. "I said it'd be our secret."

"And it was, along with all the others." I don't dare meet his eyes in case I crack. Instead I scuff my foot against the wooden flooring. "...Almost died in here. Thought I killed two innocent people... I watched it go up in flames, everything burn down to the ground... Filled me with guilt."

"I remember you telling me whilst we sat on the sofa." Nick continues. "How you felt. Why you hated yourself. Why you wanted to go."

"You made me stay." I reply. "Wasn't that worth it."

"Same sofa we kissed on the night we got together." He recalls.

"She's not you." I nod, turning and crossing my arms over my tummy defensively. "That's what you told me."

"I meant it." He whispers. "Every three words of it."

"Woke up to you lying next to me." I continue. "Was I aware it'd stay that way? No. I thought you'd run a mile, as soon as you knew who I really was."

"I already did." He tells me, leaning up against the wall. "I've known since 2010, except you made it so much harder at the time."

"You brought me home drunk with Chelle." I say quietly. "Lay me down on that sofa and told me I wasn't a monster."

"And then a few days later I told you I loved you after you stole my credit card." He laughs. "Then you threw me out."

"...Yeah sorry about that." I move towards the living room area. "Sat down and told you that Tracy had confessed. I don't know why you were still here but you were... Why?"

"Because I wanted to make you happy." He admits.

"You did." I confirm. "Then I got pregnant and you found the test."

"What a fun nine months that was." He chuckles slightly before moving slightly closer to me.

"All the struggles... All the pain and the tears and the arguments." I whisper. "Brought Ella home, watched her grow up. Our family..."

"We made a fair few memories didn't we?" He asks and I finally meet my eyes with his, tears rolling down my cheeks, one hand on my bump. "We'll make hundreds more."

"Remember this." I murmur to my tummy, rubbing it gently before Nick comes towards me, wrapping his arms around my body. "This is where it all began."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23:**

I walk down the stairs in the dark to find Carla stood by the window, looking out onto the street.

"You alright?" I ask and it doesn't make her jump in the slightest.

"Just thinking." She whispers. "And I have cramps."

"Sweetheart." I go over to her, being careful about wrapping my arms around her waist. "I'm making hot chocolate."

"Mm..." She leans her head back onto my shoulder, closing her eyes.

"Back ache?" I ask and she hums slightly. "Lie down."

"Have we unpacked the ball?" She asks, exhaling, clinging onto my hand tightly.

"Carla." I say firmly. "It's not contractions is it?"

"No." She reassures me. "I know what they feel like, I just ache everywhere."

"Ok." I kiss her on the forehead, leading her towards the sofa. "Here's the deal; you lie there, I'll put the kettle on, fetch your ball and then I'll make our drinks."

* * *

"Here." I pass her a mug of hot chocolate, sitting down on the sofa and watch her bouncing slightly on her ball.

"Thanks darling." She smiles as I click on the TV. "Ella not up?"

"I checked, she's still fast asleep." I tell her as she sips her drink. "Do you want your tummy rubbing?"

"Mm... I should be paying you a working wage." She sighs, coming and nestling into my side as I slide my hand under her pyjama top to gently soothe her stomach. "I didn't ask why you were up."

"I heard you wake, thought you might be back up in a bit but you weren't." I kiss her hair. "I thought maybe you had gone to be sick so I came to find you."

"I was sick." She groans slightly. "But it was mainly just nausea."

"Sorry." I murmur, stroking her hair back with my free hand. "I should have come and comforted you."

"You're here now." She mumbles, groaning slightly as she shifts uncomfortably.

"Shall I run you a bath?" I ask. "I'll join you if you want. Granted we haven't got much bath stuff unpacked except for one of Ella's rubber ducks."

"Mm..." She stands up, going over to the mantel piece and placing her fists down firmly on the surface. "Stop."

"Me?" I frown.

"No the baby." She moans, putting a hand on her stomach. "Feels like it's clawing at my skin."

"You're not pregnant with a kitten." I remind her and she shoots me a look.

"You wanna know what this feels like?" She suddenly snaps.

"I'll just go and run that bath..." I trail off, heading upstairs and clicking the bathroom light on before running the hot water. It takes my eyes a second to adjust to the light, the bathroom was pretty bare. We had focused on getting the bedroom and kitchen stuff unpacked first and considering Carla couldn't do a lot it was taking us quite a while.

"Sorry." She appears in the doorway, slipping her dressing gown off and laying it against the radiator.

"For what?" I frown, as she undresses. I couldn't move my eyes from how big her bump was now.

"For snapping at you." She rubs her tummy gently. "It wasn't fair of me, you were being lovely."

"No I was making stupid jokes." I compromise and she smiles before I go to leave. "Have a nice bath."

"Hey?" She questions, grabbing my arm slightly. "I thought you were staying?"

"...What do you need me to wash your hair?" I grin slightly as she pulls me in to kiss her, her breasts warm against the thin material of my t-shirt. "Who's the child in this family again?"

"You said you'd stay." She begs, meeting my eyes with hers.

"What if Ella wakes up?" I run a hand through her hair.

"Well she's hardly gonna jump out of her cot and run on in here is she?" She smiles, before slipping her hands under my t-shirt and pulling it over my head. "Which reminds me, we need to get her a new bed."

"You're really good at this dirty talk you know..." I mutter and she laughs, biting her lip.

"Mm..." She nods, letting go of my hand and going to get into the bath. "Maybe we lose it as parents."

"Lose what?" I ask before taking my tracksuit bottoms off and climbing into the bath behind her, so she she was sat between my legs. I gently glide the warm water over her tummy and she sighs contently. "Hey, lose what?"

"Oh." She suddenly snaps back to reality. "You know, how we used to be."

"...Elaborate." I kiss her shoulder softly.

"Well it used to be sex and kissing and sex and kissing..." She informs me. "But now it's more-"

"Sex and kissing and babies?" I finish her sentence and she giggles.

"Now it's more blankets and biscuits with a cup of tea." She shrugs.

"We're not seventy eight." I laugh and she kisses my hand affectionately. "It's called being parents. Besides, how do you think they got here in the first place?"

"Yes I am aware of the reproductive process thank you Nicholas." She scolds and I kiss her hair, the tips floating soundlessly on the surface of the water. "There's just been a bit of a reduction."

"Well that was gonna happen." I tell her. "Besides it's kind of hard to have sex when your wife is expanding to the size of a watermelon."

"Oh cheers." She rolls her eyes. "I'm going through hell and back for you."

"Uh, us." I correct her and she nods. "All of us... And I'm eternally grateful for it babe."

"Twice." She mutters. "Twice. Why am I doing this again?"

"Because we want another baby." I remind her. "Ella wants a sibling."

"Oh does she now, told her that herself did she?" She prods me gently in the chest. "...You know you're getting old when you're talking about sex rather than having it."

"Carla!" I exclaim as she turns around to look at me. "We're hardly deprived! You've reached that point again."

"What point?" She frowns.

"Like you did last time where you crave intimacy." I tell her.

"I always crave intimacy." She leans in to kiss me, the water lapping over my skin. "That's nothing to do with the pregnancy."

"Get out the bath then." I slap her arm lightly.

"Why?" She grins, tracing her finger up and down my chest.

"Are you serious?" I raise my eyebrows at her and she starts kissing me again. Ok, we were staying here, this would be a different experience...


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24:**

"That." Ella points to a black top with silver embroidery around the neck line. "Shiny."

"Let's have a look at this then." I pull a seven month one off the hanger. Carla had gone into work for the morning, so I had brought Ella with me to go shopping. I had decided I would surprise her with some clothes when she got back, which was not a simple task, but I was hoping I knew her well enough by now. "I think mummy will like that one. Come on then, that's enough."

"Choc." Ella begs me and I sigh before picking up a bar of chocolate as we get to the counter.

"I'll get mummy one too." I pick it up. "She likes her chocolate at the moment."

"Next please." The woman at the till calls me and I place the shopping bag down on the counter. "Hello, isn't she a darling?"

"This is my daughter Ella." I smile as the shop assistant scans them through.

"Are these clothes for daddy?" She asks her and I laugh.

"My wife is almost seven months pregnant." I inform her. "Thought we would surprise her with some new clothes and things didn't we?"

"Ah, that's lovely." She beams. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." I respond, putting my card into the machine. "Just a waiting game now isn't it Ell?"

"Choc." She pulls it out of the shopping bag and the shop assistant laughs.

"See you." She says as I take the bags and wave her off.

* * *

"Hello." I enter our house to see Carla sat with a hot water bottle on her tummy, curled up on the sofa and watching some wedding programme.

"Hi, where've you been?" She looks up as Ella goes over and climbs up next to her.

"Love mummy." She curls into her side and I smile.

"Love Ella." She laughs, kissing the top of her head.

"We've been shopping haven't we Ell?" I go to sit the other side of my daughter and place the shopping bags down on the floor.

"Ooh, what have you bought?" Her eyes light up, unaware of the fact we had actually been shopping for her.

"Well we thought we would treat you, didn't we?" I ask Ella but she doesn't respond in any way. "So we've been on a bit of a shopping spree and bought you some more clothes."

"Ah, Nick." She melts slightly. "You didn't have to do that."

"I'll take anything you don't like back." I tell her as she pulls the bag onto her lap.

"Well I like this." She takes the bar of chocolate out.

"Choc." Ella points at it.

"Uh, mummy's chocolate." I remind her. "You've had some."

"You let her have a whole bar?" Carla's eyes widen.

"No, don't worry." I nudge her slightly.

"That's gorgeous." She pulls out a deep purple coloured dress. "Granted I'll only be able to wear it for two more months."

"Yeah well it's supposed to be really comfortable." I show her the tag. "It was in the stylish but stretchy range."

"Oh how well you know me." She grins.

"And I also know that you want me to stick the kettle on." I judge her expression and she giggles.

"Telepathy." She tells Ella as I get up to go to the kitchen. "Ah this one is nice."

"Ella chose that." I reply, getting mugs out of the cupboard as she admires the black top with silver embroidery.

"Aren't you a clever girl?" She gasps, giving her a hug. "It's beautiful."

"Is there anything you want?" I ask Carla, seeing that she was comfortable where she was, unloading the rest of the clothes I had bought her.

"I'm alright." She replies as I place a mug of tea down on the coffee table, lifting Ella into my lap and putting my arm around Carla. "Thank you."

"That's ok." I say as she kisses me on the cheek, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Baba." Ella points to Carla's tummy.

"Gently." I warn her, taking her hand and placing it softly on her bump.

"That's woken it up." She announces as it starts to ripple beneath my fingers.

"Can you feel that?" I question Ella. "That's your little brother or sister."

* * *

"She's in bed." I walk down the stairs and back to join her on the sofa.

"We've got painting to do tomorrow." She grimaces at the thought. "Ella's room needs doing, I don't know who used to occupy it but it's not very decorative."

"Yeah well we said she can have a big room so we'll leave the cot and things in there for the baby and move her into that bigger room." I explain. "That way we don't have to go baby shopping again."

"That's a good idea actually." She nods as I put my arm around her. "Means we have to go girlie shopping though."

"Oh doesn't that sound thrilling?" I roll my eyes and she grins as I observe the book in her hands. "What's that?"

"Baby name book." She nestles in next to me, opening it between us. "Thought it might give us some ideas."

"We don't know the sex yet." I prompt her.

"Yeah so?" She looks at me. "Doesn't stop us from deciding on names."

"Oh ok." I kiss her hair affectionately. "How was work?"

"Stressful." She responds, flicking through the pages without really paying attention. "I'm getting too tired for it now."

"Early retirement." I nudge her and she gives me a look.

"I meant with the pregnancy." She says in a low tone. "Won't be leaving that factory until the day I die."

"I know." I chuckle, wrapping her in a tighter hug.

"Thanks for all the presents." She smiles up at me, kissing my lips softly.

"You deserve them." I reply and she studies me for a few seconds. "What?"

"Did you think the night we shared that drunken kiss in the street that we'd end up married in a house with two kids?" She asks, randomly.

"Yeah you know what? That was my exact thought process at the time." I joke and she bites her lip. "I was more focused on the fact that Carla Connor was kissing me."

"...Funny how things turn out." She whispers and I nod, kissing her again before she buries her head in my chest.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25:**

 _ **Another filler chapter to speed things along a bit, before Christmas and birthdays come up.**_

"I've got some news." Nick announces, swinging the front door closed as he enters the house, ruffling Ella's hair as she sits on the floor playing with her toys.

"You're pregnant." I grin, pointing at him excitedly as I chew on a pickle.

"Got it in one." He winks, bending down to where I was sat in the dining chair so he could kiss me. "Ew, tastes like pickle."

"What a shock." I roll my eyes, waving it in his face playfully. "So come on, what's this news?"

"I've sorted Christmas." He sits down opposite me, taking one of the crisps from my plate.

"Oh..." I groan, this was a conversation I was not looking forward to having.

"So we're going to mum's in the morning, opening presents there with all the family, then we're going to the pub to see Steve and Chelle, then we'll go back to Gail's for Christmas lunch and then I said we would go to Aidan's flat for a few hours for drinks. Then come back here." He announces and I try to keep the weariness out of my expression.

"Fun packed." I comment and he looks at me for a few seconds.

"Only joking." He grins and I frown at him. "I told them all we won't be joining them on Christmas Day, which they're not happy about but I said we wanted Christmas on our own as a family."

"Are you serious?" I exclaim and he nods, proudly. "Ah, you wind up." I prod his hand. "Hormones."

"Sorry." He smiles. "But I wasn't going to put you through that on Christmas Day was I? I told Chelle we might go round in the afternoon if you're feeling up to it."

"Thank you." I reply, pulling myself up to go and kiss him.

"Dev's selling trees, might go and get one this afternoon." He suggests as I lean up against the kitchen counter, stretching out.

"Can't say I'll be a brilliant help decorating it." I respond.

"You don't have to." He says. "I've got Ella to help me now."

"Oh I see." I nod, getting the paracetamol out of the cupboard.

"Aching?" He gives me a concerned look.

"Really sore." I sigh, pulling up my top slightly. "I've got stretch marks."

"Oh baby." He can see how devastated I am about this and gets up immediately to come and wrap his arms around my waist from behind. "They'll fade."

"I know." I force a smile as he runs his fingers along the engraved marks.

"Listen to me." He whispers. "I will love you no matter what. Ok? Whatever you look like, whenever."

* * *

"Can you put the angel on the top?" Nick asks Ella, lifting her up and holding her near the top of the tree. She holds it firmly in her hand before reluctantly placing it on the top branch with help from Nick.

"Go to sleep." I moan slightly, rubbing my tummy. Considering it hardly ever moved around much, it must have been downing energy drinks in preparation for today. "I know it's exciting for you but you can enjoy it next year."

"What's that?" Nick asks Ella, holding up a decoration. "Do you know what that is?"

"Bird." She strokes the robin hanging from a string affectionately.

"That's right." He balances her on his hip as she clenches the decoration. "Robin, can you say robin?"

"Bird." She says again.

"Robin." He persists.

"Bird." She repeats and I laugh. Even when I was feeling this low my family always made me smile.

"Ok where are we going to put the bird then?" He gives in and she attempts to hang it on a branch, her tongue hanging out in concentration. Nick helps attach it after she has selected a spot and she grins excitedly, clapping her hands.

"Nick." I whine slightly and he turns to look at me. "I really don't want to be a pain but is there any chance you could pop and get me a bar of Galaxy."

"Ha!" Nick gasps, smiling all the same. "How very dare you. Yeah I'll go now, do you want me to take or leave Ella?"

"You can leave her it's fine." I reply holding out my arms to him. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He kisses me on the forehead after lowering Ella down on the sofa. "Back in a second."

* * *

"Bon appetite Mrs Tilsley." Nick passes me two large bars of chocolate and I tear one open.

"Mm, I love you so much." I shift uncomfortably, biting into it.

"Well that's a good job." He says, lifting Ella into his arms again.

"Choc." Ella points at it and I pass her a piece.

"Mummy's chocolate." He tells her, pulling a bag of chocolate decorations out of his pocket. "However, look what I bought to decorate the tree."

"Ah they won't last long." I smile.

"I was thinking, I can sort the Christmas presents this year if you like?" Nick suggests, carrying Ella towards the stairs.

"You don't have to do everything for me Nick." I sigh. "I don't need your pity remember?"

"You're carrying my baby, I think it's far from pity." He flashes me a smile. "I'm gonna take Ella for a bath and then it's bedtime I think. Say night night mummy."

"Bye bye." She waves at me and I return the gesture before Nick carries her up the stairs.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26:**

 _ **I'm putting this fic on postpone, I won't be writing for a while (a month approx) as I've had the most traumatic week ever. I'm really snowed under at the moment with personal stuff and so I'm going to take some time out of writing as it takes one of the pressures off. Thanks for your support and look out for later updates. Here is the Christmas Day chapter.**_

It's cold when I awake, Carla wasn't in the bed next to me and the duvet had been thrown back from where we usually lay. I get up instantly, clicking the landing light on and wincing at the time on the clock on the wall.

"Merry Christmas." I hear her voice suddenly and spin around. She was standing at the other end of the landing, Ella in her arms, a smile on her face.

"What are you doing up?" I ask, rubbing my eyes.

"Ask her that question." She hands Ella to me, rubbing her tummy as soon as she had been passed over. "I think she was excited about Santa."

"I think _you_ were excited about Santa." I correct her and she grins.

"Well if he's got me a stomach deflater then I'll be chuffed." She responds.

"Don't think he could fit that on his sleigh." I reply. "Besides, you don't want to deflate yet."

"I know." She nods, taking my spare hand and leading me down the stairs.

* * *

"Merry Christmas!" The front door flies open and Michelle appears, followed by Steve, her arms ladened with presents.

"Oh hi!" Carla exclaims, pulling herself up from the sofa. "What are you doing here? What about the pub?"

"Twenty questions Car." Michelle winks, kissing her on the cheek. "Liz is taking care of it for a few hours."

"Happy Christmas mate." I slap Steve on the back as Ella runs up to Michelle after finishing dancing to 'O Holy Night'.

"Mimi!" She yelps, hugging her leg.

"Hi darling." Michelle crouches down to kiss the top of her head, laying out presents on the floor. "Did you get lots from Santa?"

"She's been spoilt." Carla beams down at her.

"I hope you have too." Michelle aims at Carla but gives me a look.

"Don't worry they've both been lucky girls." I assure her.

"What did Steve get you?" Carla asks and Michelle stands up, dusting herself down.

"A toaster." She responds bluntly.

"Oh..." I nod, trying to look enthusiastic.

"Not just a toaster." Steve points out.

"Yeah sorry." Michelle corrects herself. "A cheap toaster."

"And a loaf of bread." Steve adds and I raise my eyebrows.

"Nice." Carla's eyes widen.

"She's been going on about how we needed a new one for ages." Steve shrugs. "I don't see what the problem is."

"Dead romantic." Michelle coughs slightly. "What did Nick get you?"

"A necklace, a new hot water bottle, a meal out which he's taking me for next week, a box of chocolates and a bouquet of flowers." Carla explains and I can't help but feel proud of myself. "Oh and a spa kit, you know, to help me survive the next few months."

"You're doing it right Nick." Michelle pats me on the shoulder. "You're doing it right."

* * *

"Why is it getting harder to buy advent calendars?" Steve slouches on the sofa, his arm draped around Michelle.

"Steve, enough jokes now." She sighs and I exchange a look with Carla. "Besides that's my joke!"

"No seriously, this ones good." He stops her. "Ok, I repeat; why is it getting harder to buy advent calendars?"

"...Because it's Christmas Day and advent has finished now." I drone.

"Nope." Steve shakes his head, slurping on a beer. "Because their days are numbered."

He begins to laugh hysterically and Michelle raises her eyebrows at us, sipping from what seemed to be her fourth glass of wine.

"Ah, Fairytale of New York." Steve announces as it begins to play. "Come on Chelle, this is your tune."

"You used to sing this at the pub gigs at Christmas." Carla reminds her. "Then that bloke used to pay you a tenner to look down your top."

"You remember the weirdest things." I frown.

"That was far from weird where we came from." Carla persists and Michelle starts singing as the beat kicks in.

* * *

"When are they leaving?" I whisper in Carla's ear, slipping my arms around her waist as she cleans the kitchen surface.

"I don't know." She hisses. "I didn't invite them."

"She's drunk." I point out and she rolls her eyes at me.

"I am aware." She forces a tired smile.

"Carla?" A voice sounds from the living room and I go to see who it is.

"Roy, hi." I smile, inviting him in despite the fact he had already done a good enough job of that himself.

"Sorry to intrude." He frets, as Carla appears behind me.

"Hi Roy." Carla beams giving him a quick hug. "Merry Christmas."

"I just came to give you these." He offers her a bag of presents.

"Gramps!" Ella looks up from her blocks, finally noticing his presence.

"That's lovely of you." She returns, placing them down by the fire. "Did Cathy give you your gift? You weren't there yesterday."

"Yes and you have a... A very good eye for uh, male fashion." He stammers and she nods curtly. "Right well I won't inconvenience you any longer. Glad tidings to you all, Steve, Michelle."

"Bye Roy." Steve raises a hand in recognition as he goes to leave.

"Thanks for stopping by." Carla sees him out. "Merry Christmas."

* * *

"Pizza is here." Steve calls and I stand to go and collect it. We had given up on the idea of Christmas dinner, as we didn't have enough to feed our two 'guests' and Carla was shattered as it was.

"Ok." I carry it into the living room, laying out boxes on the coffee table. "How very festive."

"Who delivers pizza on Christmas Day?" Michelle frowns.

"Never mind that, where's my pepperoni?" Steve searches the boxes, pulling his onto his lap despite the fact we paid for it. "Least I've still got the turkey."

"Ey?" Michelle looks at him.

"Pepperoni, least I'm sticking the tradition." He continues, stuffing a piece in his mouth.

"...Pepperoni is cow." Michelle nudges him, bursting into drunken laughter.

"No it's not." He retorts.

"It's actually pig, but ok." I mutter, glancing at Carla who was tucking into her pizza avidly.

"The idea makes me want to hurl." She pulls a face. "I don't care what animal it is."

"Well, here's to a merry Christmas then." I shrug, touching her box with mine. "Cheers."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27:**

"Ella come here please, daddy's going to put your shoes on." I call and she comes over obediently.

"Is he now?" He smiles, kneeling down to strap her shoes on as I rub my tummy. "You alright?"

"Aching." I sigh, I was so tired now, I just wanted to give birth, but I had another month to go. He finishes dressing Ella and comes over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I wish there was something I could do." He kisses me on the side of the head.

"You've done enough." I force a smile. "Thank you for all my lovely birthday presents."

"Right, I'm taking her to Roy's then." He kisses me again before releasing me and gathering Ella's things. "You'll be alright?"

"Mm." I nod, sitting down on the sofa and closing my eyes briefly. "Nick."

"What do you want?" He grins and I smile at him appreciatively.

"Since you're going to Roy's can you get me a breakfast muffin?" I ask him and he strokes my hair before leading Ella out of the house.

"How could I say no?" He calls back. "I'll be ten minutes."

"Thank you." I whisper, though I doubt he hears it. I click on the television and fixate my eyes on some panda programme for a few minutes. The things that were on TV on a Thursday morning. My throat was dry, I needed a drink.

I pull myself up, grabbing onto the arm of the sofa before I feel a stomach wrenching pain. "Ah." I keel over, placing my forehead against the side. I screw my eyes up, I'd had several cases of Braxton Hicks during this pregnancy, but this was by far the worst.

Once the pain has subsided, I let out a short exhale before shifting myself towards the kitchen.

Then it happens; a gravitational force that sinks in my uterus. I feel a sharp pain before a stream of liquid pours from my abdomen. It trickles down my leg and cascades onto the kitchen tiles.

"NICK?" I yell, knowing it was no use. I grab onto the sideboard, shifting my weight up against it and taking deep breaths in and out. Phone, where was my phone? I grab it from where it lay on the coffee table and press Nick on speed dial. "Pick up, pick up, pick up." I whisper, knowing it was close to ringing out.

"Hi babe." I hear his voice and a wave of relief washes over me. "Don't worry I've got the muffin."

"No, Nick please." I beg as another contraction begins.

"Hey, are you alright?" He suddenly sounds worried, muffling something to Roy briefly. "Carla?"

"I need you." I manage to muster through the pain.

"I'm on my way." He promises. "Stay on the phone yeah?"

"Something's wrong." I pant, letting out a low groan as pain encases me. "I'm gonna fall."

"Are you stood up?" Nick asks me and I whimper in response. "Can you move to sit down."

"I'm holding on to the mantelpiece." I tell him. "Nick I feel really dizzy."

"Ok, I'm here." He hangs up suddenly and I hear the front door swing open. He runs over to me instantly, holding me upright. "Hey, you're ok. Sit on the sofa." He sits me down and then kneels in front of me, brushing the hair out of my eyes.

"My waters broke." I point over to the kitchen when the contraction has ended and he nods understandingly.

"Ok don't worry." He reassures me. "So this is labour?"

"Feels like it." I look at him worriedly. "Either that or I've just wet myself..."

"Mm." He smiles at me, wiping the sweat off my cheek and leaning his forehead against mine. "I love you."

"It's too early." I shake my head.

"It's a month, it's fine." He whispers, stroking my hair and focusing his eyes on mine. "Do you want me to run you a bath?"

"No, I just want to curl up into a little ball." I sigh, slipping down onto the floor.

"Do you want to sit on this?" Nick offers me the birthing ball and I nod, as he helps me up to sit down on it. "Ok, I'm gonna call the midwife, just see what we should do."

"How was Roy?" I ask, as Nick dials from the home phone.

"He was fine, he wishes you a happy birthday." He tells me.

"Yeah he'll be wishing someone else a happy birthday and all at this rate." I mutter before keeling over. "Mmm..."

"Is it bad?" He soothes me, coming to crouch beside me whilst holding the phone to his ear.

"I wouldn't say it was exactly a spa weekend." I respond, trying to keep the harshness out of my voice.

"Hi it's Nick Tilsley, Carla Tilsley's husband." Nick introduces. "She's registered at your surgery and we think that she's gone into labour." He waits whilst a woman talks to him down the phone. "Yeah, her waters have broken. How far apart are your contractions?"

"Uh, five minutes." I shrug through the pain. "I don't know it's just so sudden."

"She says about five minutes." Nick repeats. "...One month early... Yeah... Yeah she is."

"She is what?" I pull at his clothes once the contraction has subsided.

"Ok, thank you." He says down the phone. "Six, Coronation Street... Thanks, bye."

"What did they say?" I pester him and he kisses me on the forehead.

"The midwife is on her way." He informs me before getting up and going to get me a bottle of water. "Here you are."

"Thank you." I accept it off him gratefully. "Can't get over the fact this is happening now."

"Just relax." He murmurs as I take a sip from it.

"Relax?" I raise my eyebrows.

"You seem remotely calm in comparison to last time." He grins at me, ruffling my hair as if I was some sort of pet.

"Yeah well there's nothing to be scared of." I tell him, strangely believing it myself. "Are we sticking to our name choices?"

"Noah-James or Charlotte-Jasmine." He recalls, meeting my eyes with his. "We agreed on that?"

"Yeah." I manage to say before another wave of pain washes over me. "Ow..."

"Deep breaths." He reminds me and I inhale sharply as he squeezes my hand. "You can do this yeah? Do it for our family."

* * *

"Ok, you're almost there Carla." The midwife tells me as I grab Nick's hand for support. I was so tired of this, I just wanted it to be over now. "Give a small push for me?"

"Mmm..." I groan, bringing my chin to my chest and squeezing my eyes shut.

"Gently, there's no rush." She assures me.

"Well I don't exactly want to hang around." I snap, grasping onto the material of the sofa with my free hand. I was propped up against the back of it, seated on top of a white sheet with Nick knelt next to me.

"Wait a minute Carla." She stops me and I roll my eyes.

"But I want it out now." I moan like a child.

"Is everything ok?" Nick asks, concerned and I peer at her through weary eyes.

"It's fine." She nods. "Ok when the next contraction comes I need a big push."

"Is it nearly done?" I pant, moving my eyes from the midwife to Nick. He looks down at me lovingly, his gaze holding mine, brushing a lock of hair out of my eyes and tucking it behind my ear.

"You can do this." He promises me. "You've done it once, you can do it again."

"It's all happened so fast." I hyperventilate and he calms me down by tracing my face with his finger.

"Breathe." He says seriously as I keel over in pain again.

"Ok, push push push for me Carla." The midwife demands as a wrenching pain channels through my abdomen. It was burning as I force myself to push down, tears sliding down my cheeks as I grip Nick's hand tightly.

"I can't..." I yell, mid-contraction but I still continue to battle against the unbearable pain that sickened me.

"It's crowning." She announces and this is music to my ears. I know now that in a matter of seconds, I could meet my baby and that's what gave me the motivation to push down again. "Five, four, three, two." She counts down.

"Ow ow ow!" I scream suddenly as the intensity bowls over me, feeling a force being drawn from me as I hear the high screech of a baby crying. "Oh my God." I say through tears, sobbing loudly at the calamity of emotion.

"She's here." The midwife smiles at us and I look at Nick in shock.

"She?" My face breaks into a smile. "It's a girl?"

"You've got yourselves another baby girl." She cleans her up briefly. "Nick, would you like to cut the cord?" She offers him the scissors and he places a kiss on my forehead before moving over to do it.

"Carla she's beautiful." He gasps before she is handed over to me. I take her in my arms and burst into tears as I rock her gently.

"She's so tiny." I whimper, linking my finger through her little hands and smiling down at her. "Hello sweetheart."

"Forget the necklace, I think this was the best birthday present I could have given you." He laughs, wrapping his arm around the both of us.

"You bought me?" I look up at him, a smile on my face.

"I think I needed to supply some ingredients darling." He bites his lip and I slap him lightly. "Shall I go get Ella?"

"If you are going to get her, I can run the last few tests, finish up here and then leave you in peace?" The midwife suggests and I smile at her appreciatively.

* * *

"Ok, I think that's about it." She collects her things together as the front door opens. I was now sat up on the sofa, with Charlotte-Jasmine wrapped in a blanket.

"Go see who mummy's with." Nick ushers Ella and she runs over to me as he lifts her onto his lap next to me.

"I'll leave you be." The midwife smiles at us. "Well done Carla."

"Thank you for everything." Nick replies and she nods before leaving.

"This is your baby sister." I tell Ella and she peers over the blanket to look at her face. "Charlotte-Jasmine Tilsley. Born on the same day as me... I always hated my birthdays; mam would give me a cardboard box, tell me to make do with that as a birthday present. I'm gonna make sure that it's completely different, for both of you."

"I'm so proud of you." Nick whispers into my skin as he plants a kiss on my forehead. "This couldn't be more perfect. Everything we've been through, for this moment right here. It's all I need."

"You know what I say..." I look up at him and he meets my eyes, the warmth of our children beneath us, pulling us together as a whole family. "When you're living it right Nicky boy the whole world's a dance floor."

 _ **Thank you so much for reading this! Sorry for the delay in uploading this chapter but thank you for all your support throughout! I hope you all enjoyed it and that you will read my next Narla story, 'Oblivious' so look out for the first chapter! Thanks again!xxx**_


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